ONE GOAL IN MIND
Tyler Hansbrough closed his eyes, hoping for a good night of rest. Instead, his mind kept racing, turning over and over the thought of finally getting North Carolina to the Final Four.
"I couldn't really fall asleep," he said. "I kept thinking about this game coming up."
It's somehow fitting that Tyler Hansbrough - a relentless All-American and a star from his first college game - doesn't even take a break even when he should be sleeping.
That he's feeling anxious these days is no surprise. After all, he has worked with every play of his career to win a national championship, a goal now two wins away.
It's why Hansbrough can't talk about his first trip to the Final Four without immediately adding that he wants more.
"It means a lot," said Hansbrough, whose team plays Kansas on Saturday night in San Antonio. "It's a goal we set out. Obviously, we beat some good teams to get here and we feel like we're playing really well. We want to keep on moving."
Few players have embodied that approach better than the 6-foot-9 junior. He has spent seemingly the entire year earning a personal accolade for every victory the Tar Heels (36-2) managed in what has become the winningest season in the storied program's history.
He was a unanimous All-America choice by The Associated Press this week.
Tyler Hansbrough, averaging 22.8 points and 10.3 rebounds, will be just the eighth Tar Heel to have his jersey retired. In last weekend's win over Louisville, he scored 28 points to move past Sam Perkins for second on the school's career scoring list with 2,151 points, trailing only Phil Ford (2,290) for a record he'll easily set if he returns next year.
"I didn't make Tyler that hard worker. I've just been a guy who benefited from it," coach Roy Williams said. "That boy is self-driven and self-motivated."
He's done it with an unyielding will that has him chase every rebound and loose ball while scoring despite constant contact. It's an approach that as a freshman earned him the nickname "Psycho T" - he screamed to motivate himself to keep going during a grueling conditioning drill. Aron Baynes, Washington State's Australian forward, called him a "thrashing croc in the paint" before the team's matchup in the round of 16 last week.
But Hansbrough has also shown an expansive shooting range. His jumper has proved reliable while creeping out past 15 feet, whether it was his last-second shot to beat Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinals or the two clutch shots he hit over Louisville center David Padgett to help the Tar Heels hold their slim second-half lead in the East Regional championship.
[More at www.themonitor.com]
Party photos make splash
Obama shoots hoops with Tar Heels
Coach: Tar Heels' trio still undecided
Shooting the breeze
Hansbrough in black and white
Hansbrough Stays Quiet About His Future Options
Final Four recap: Kansas 84, North Carolina 66
Hansbrough Selected Player of the Year
Final Four Matchup: Jayhawks vs. Tarheels
For Final Four schools, trip can be a costly game
One goal in mind
Hansbrough, Beasley on All-America Team
Tips for attending the Final Four
Tyler Hansbrough - Committee gets it right as four No. 1s head to San Antonio
Final Four Matchup: North Carolina vs. Kansas
Louisville 73, North Carolina 83
Preview: Cardinals vs Tar Heels - East Regional
West Regional - Xavier vs. UCLA
Tarheels 68, Cougars 47
Why the North Carolina Tarheels Will Win the National Championship
Ellington helps North Carolina rout Arkansas 108-77 to reach NCAA round of 16
East regional:Arkansas 77, North Carolina 108
East regional: Razorbacks vs Tar Heels
Heart fuels Hansbrough's play
EAST REGIONAL
East regional: Tar Heels still own talent-heavy bracket
NCAA West Regional
NCAA Midwest Regional
NCAA South Regional
Clemson Tigers 81, North Carolina Tar Heels 86
Hansbrough to have jersey retired
Final Four Update
Tar Heels beat Virginia Tech, 68-66
Tourny time
March Madman
Dascenzo: Take time to appreciate Hansbrough
Tyler Hansbrough Ranks No. 2 - For Now
Tarheel Basketball Report: UNC Vs. Duke
#2 Duke tops #3 UNC 89-78
'Pyscho T' drives foes mad with physical inside game
Hansbrough, fifth-ranked Tar Heels get past 'Canes
UNC to face Georgia Tech in a possible “trap” game
Hansbrough leads way as UNC racks up another win
Hansbrough's big night leads No. 1 Tar Heels past Kent State 90-61
Preview: Nevada at No. 1 North Carolina
Hansbrough leads lethargic No. 1 Tar Heels past Nicholls State, 88-78
Hansbrough, Raji earn ACC weekly honors
On College Basketball | Williams ever the gracious victor
Lawson may be out but Buckeyes still worried about stopping Hansbrough
Hansbrough does it all in Las Vegas
Early look at the player of the year race
Tar Heels Avoid Upset, Beat Davidson
Hansbrough Tops AP's All-America Team
ACC Hoops Preview: #1-North Carolina
Maric Among 50 Wooden Award Candidates
Preseason honors keep coming
Five college basketball teams to watch
Points and Combos: Smelling like a Rose
Cheat sheet for college hoops season
Is a hardwood three-peat in Florida's future?
Florida's headed for a hard fall in hoops
Roy Williams Hall of Fame Acceptance Speech
Fantasyland
Heels have calendar marked for key visits
A case of the blues
All-Rolls Royce Team
Tyler Hansbrough Report
Moore or less correct
Tar Heels coach thinks basketball, deals with vertigo
2008 recruiting class can't get much worse
NBA Draft: A mock for 2008 (and Mr. Mayo is NOT No. 1)
NBA player Williams gives back to community
Changing of guards in ACC
Singletary gives Cavs chance
One More Year: Possible 2008 Early Entries
Selecting the best of the rest
Griz still have chance to score at number 4
How to get a team going
USC Trojans(25-11) Vs. North Carolina (30-6)
Jackets' Future is Now
Tar Heels News
|
