by Jeff Goodman

Freshman big man Tyler Zeller is likely to miss the remainder of the season after breaking his left wrist Tuesday night. He underwent surgery Wednesday at UNC Hospital.

The 6-foot-10 Zeller suffered multiple fractures in his wrist when he landed on it late in the Tar Heels' 77-58 win over Kentucky, according to a source close to the situation.

Zeller, who had started the last two games in place of Tyler Hansbrough, was injured when he missed a breakaway dunk and came down on his hand.

"I hate this for Tyler," said head coach Roy Williams. "He's such a great kid and he's going to be a terrific player for us. It's another big blow for our team, but it's more adversity that we have to overcome together."

Zeller, who scored 18 points in the season-opening win over Penn, joins Hansbrough and Marcus Ginyard on the injury list for the Tar Heels.

It's still unclear when Hansbrough will return to the lineup. He's missed the first two games with a stress reaction in his shin, but went through a limited practice on Monday.

Ginyard is expected back next month following surgery for a stress fracture.