When the Cavaliers take the court on Thursday night against North Carolina, they will face several challenges. Arguably the biggest one will come in the form of Tyler Hansbrough, who is the reigning National Player of the Year.
Hansbrough leads the ACC in scoring, averaging 22.4 points per game. He missed several games early in the season with a stress reaction in his shin, but has since returned in top form. Dave Leitao has been preparing his forwards for a battle with Hansbrough. Assane Sene, Mike Scott, Tunji Soroye, and Jerome Meyinnse could all find themselves assigned to the task of containing him.
The Cavaliers are also hoping to reverse some losing trends when it comes to facing the Tar Heels. UNC has won eight of the last ten meetings between these two teams dating back to 2003, including four in a row. Last season, Virginia came close, but fell, 75-74.
North Carolina is currently 0-2 in the ACC, but still is leading the conference in many categories, including scoring. The Tar Heels average 94.2 points per game, nearly 20 points better than Virginia.
