Tag: Tyler Hansbrough

RJ Davis has a very real chance to break UNC’s all-time scoring record this season

RJ Davis is pretty close to the all-time UNC scoring record. Will he break it by season’s end?

When it comes to the most efficient scorers in North Carolina Tar Heels basketball history, RJ Davis is right up there with some of the other all-time greats.

Davis is coming off his best season at UNC, averaging a career-high 21.2 points per game and being named 2024 ACC Player of the Year. Davis scored in double-digits every game but two, which included reaching another career-high, single-game point total of 42 on Feb. 26 in a 75-71 win victory over Miami (FL).

Ahead of his fifth and final season at North Carolina, Davis has a great chance to break the all-time scoring record. Davis currently has 2,088 career points, behind Sam Perkins (2,145), Phil Ford (2,290), former teammate Armando Bacot (2,347) and Tyler Hansbrough (2,872).

Given RJ’s scoring prowess, plus the fact he’s the most experienced player in Chapel Hill this year and knows the system well, I think breaking Hansbrough’s all-time record is very doable. Sure, RJ will have to ball out and play even better than last season, but that’s also not a tall ask.

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If RJ doesn’t end his season as the Tar Heels’ all-time scoring leader, though, don’t be surprised.

UNC has even more scoring help this year in freshman Ian Jackson, transfers Cade Tyson and Ven-Allen Lubin, plus Seth Trimble if he plays like he did against Memphis. Those are only a few names, as you can’t count out the likes of Drake Powell, Jalen Washington and Ven-Allen Lubin.

While I’m sure RJ would appreciate leaving Chapel Hill with a minimum 2,873 career points, I’m sure he’d rather leave with a National Championship in his back pocket.

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Armando Bacot tells story of how Tyler Hansbrough sent him to the hospital

Tyler Hansbrough once sent Armando Bacot to the hospital after a pickup game.

The annual Summer scrimmage games during the North Carolina basketball camps are usually pretty epic battles between the current team and former players. Each year, campers get the chance to watch these games as players showcase their skills for those in attendance.

And usually, they get very competitive.

On Tuesday, Armando Bacot appeared on Theo Pinson’s “Run Your Race” podcast to talk about his time at North Carolina. He mentioned the Summer pickup games on campus with former players back and how the experience was for him. That brought him to a story about facing off against a UNC legend in Tyler Hansbrough and how he had to go to the hospital after the game.

“I was playing against T-Hans [Tyler Hansbrough] and I ain’t, obviously I know he was a great player but I didn’t know he was that physical,” Bacot said. “I went and blocked his shot, then the next play he like went right through me. And then I had to go to the hospital, stitches and all that. He didn’t say sorry, or nothing. He just kept going [laughter].”

Ouch.

Bacot has seen Hansbrough since then as he broke his all-time rebounding record and the two were happy to see each other. I’m sure Hansbrough eventually apologized but in the end it might have helped Bacot to go through that in his UNC career.

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Tyler Hansbrough lists most annoying Duke players

The UNC-Duke basketball rivalry dates back to the last century. Tar Heel legend Tyler Hansbrough talks about Duke’s most annoying guys.

The entire NCAA Tournament field has already been announced for the men and the women. Some First Four teams (hello, UVA) have proven they didn’t belong. Others (Grambling State) provided exciting basketball in their first trip to the Big Dance.

The real fun starts on Thursday as sports fanatics across the country watch as their brackets hang on or get busted. Who will be the Cinderella teams? Will the favorites advance to the final?

One of the NCAA Tournament favorites is North Carolina, which enters with a 27-7 record as the West’s top seed. The Tar Heels built an eight-game win streak, which included completing the season sweep of Duke, before falling to NC State in the ACC Tournament final.

Speaking of the Duke, which is seeded fourth in the South Region, one of the greatest players to don a UNC uniform gave his four most annoying Blue Devils in a recent interview with FanDuel.

“JJ Redick, just because he was so good,” Tyler Hansbrough said during a recent interview on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back.” “I think so many people hated him in college, he kind of egged it on a little bit. I will put him up there. Then you got to go with Christian Laettner. Seems like he’s the poster boy for Duke. You could say Grayson Allen because of his tripping. Gerald Henderson is probably up there. Me and Gerald are pretty good friends now, but back in the day, there was a lot of hatred because of “that” incident.”

It’s hard to argue with Psycho T’s list, particularly his Laettner and Allen choices. Both are talented players, with Allen still playing in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns, but easy to be hated by the Tar Heel faithful.

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Psycho T named FanDuel’s best college hoops player since 2000

Tyler Hansbrough was one of the greatest basketball players to come through UNC. He’s also one of college’s best players of all-time.

If you ever had an opportunity to see Tyler Hansbrough suit up for the North Carolina Tar Heels, you may not have realized you’d eventually be watching one of college basketball’s all-time greats.

Hansbrough, also known by his nickname “Psycho T” for his aggressive, on-court play, is the best big man to ever come through Chapel Hill. He was named All-ACC each of his four seasons at UNC, highlighted by a 2008 ACC Player of the Year selection.

To put in perspective how dominant Hansbrough was, he averaged 20.2 points per game as a Tar Heel.

Hansbrough was also part of arguably the greatest North Carolina team assembled, which won the 2009 National Championship over Michigan State. He went on to play seven NBA seasons, including his final one (2014-2015) with the Charlotte Hornets, but never enjoyed the same success he did at the collegiate level.

There’s been several uber-talented players at the college level over the years, but none quite like Hansbrough.

In FanDuel’s rankings of Top 25 college basketball players since 2000, Hansbrough topped the list.

Being up there with several other college greats is incredible, but to lead them is a whole additional level of awesome. Several players on this list have gone on to become future Hall-of-Famers in the NBA, such as Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and possibly Anthony Davis.

I don’t think many people saw Hansbrough’s pro career flaming out after seven years, but that sadly happens to even the best of college players. His best NBA season came in Year Two with the Indiana Pacers, when he averaged a career-best 11 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

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RJ Davis reaches 2K career points in UNC’s ACC Tournament Semifinal victory

It’s rare for a college hoops player to reach the 2,000-point club. UNC guard RJ Davis did so on Friday in the ACC Tournament against Pitt.

Pitt’s toughness was exactly the kind of wake-up call UNC needed.

North Carolina, the ACC Tournament’s top seed, went back-and-forth with the 4-seeded Panthers all night on Friday.

The Tar Heels were determined to get back to the title game, though, as they closed out Pitt late in a 72-65 victory.

As has been the case all season long, UNC (27-6, 17-3) was led by another stellar scoring effort from star guard RJ Davis. The senior from White Plains, NY, who’s also the ACC Player of the Year, scored 25 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the field (3-of-10 from downtown) and a 6-of-8 mark from the free throw line.

RJ entered Friday’s game with 1,975 career points, so you know what Friday’s output meant: he now has 2,000 career points.

There’s another Tar Heel you might recognize who reached the 2,000-point mark earlier this year: Armando Bacot.

In addition to Bacot, Davis joins Charlie Scott, Al Wood, Lennie Rosenbluth, Sam Perkins, Phil Ford and Tyler Hansbrough in the 2K point club.

If this is Davis’ last year in Chapel Hill, he’ll likely pass Scott (2,007), Al Wood (2,015) and Rosenbluth (2,047) on the all-time scoring list. If Davis returns for his COVID year in the Fall, there’s a chance he surpasses Psycho T (2,872) as the all-time leading scorer.

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North Carolina honors Tyler Hansbrough during showdown with Duke

The UNC basketball program honored Tyler Hansbrough for his induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

North Carolina is hosting Duke for the first of two matchups in 2024 this Saturday as the rivals add another chapter to their historic rivalry.

And the Tar Heels decided to honor a legend who knows a little something about playing in this rivalry.

During halftime of Saturday’s game, the Tar Heels honored Tyler Hansbrough for his induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. The forward was honored with a special video montage that played on the video boards including messages from teammate Bobby Frasor and his head coach Roy Williams, showing some of career highlights. Check out the video below:

Hamsbrough had several big moments at North Carolina, including a couple against Duke as he went 4-0 in Cameron Indoor Stadium in his career.

Hansbrough won a national championship, went to two Final Fours, was the 2008 ACC Player of the Year, a four-time all-ACC first-team selection and a three-time consensus first-team all-American.

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Top 10 UNC Basketball wins against Duke in Chapel Hill

We look at the best moments for the UNC basketball program at home against Duke in the storied rivalry between the two teams.

When people talk about the greatest rivalry in sports, there’s a wide variety of answers that come up.

The Boston Bruins-Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers, New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox, Alabama-Auburn and Michigan-Ohio State are just a few that come to mind.

There’s one rivalry that trumps all those – UNC-Duke.

The Tobacco Road Rivalry dates all the way back to 1920, when Duke was known as Trinity College. We’ve seen a lot of memorable moments in this epic, semi-annual battle, including the unforgettable 2022 Final Four matchup when North Carolina (17-3, 9-0 ACC) sent Coach K into retirement.

On Saturday, Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET, the 192nd instillation of UNC-Duke will take place inside the Dean Smith Center.

Unlike last year, when the Blue Devils (16-4, 7-2) were running the ACC, it’s the Tar Heels who are the conference’s best team.

It’s not just a career year from RJ Davis – or the much-improved defense that make North Carolina a favorite to win its seventh national championship. It’s a more balanced, experienced and talented roster. UNC head coach Hubert Davis is learning from last season’s mistakes, playing significantly deeper into his rotation. Players seem to be getting along better and have significantly better chemistry – it shows in on-court ball movement and laughter in the huddle.

Let’s take a deeper dive into this rivalry’s 10 greatest moments in Chapel Hill.

R.J. Davis joins this fellow Tar Heel legend in elite scoring company

Tyler Hansbrough holds the UNC men’s basketball career points record. R.J. Davis recently matched another points mark, last set by Psycho T.

If you’ve been paying even the slightest bit of attention to UNC basketball this year, you’ve probably seen how well star guard R.J. Davis is playing.

Davis leads Carolina and is eighth in the nation with 21.7 points per game. He’s a dagger from deep, near-automatic from the free throw line – tying assistant coach Jeff Lebo’s record for consecutive free throws against Kentucky – while continuously showing an ability to knock down clutch shots.

Davis is a major reason UNC is 8-3, as of Friday, Dec. 23. Three of those Tar Heel victories have come against ranked opponents, with the most recent one being a convincing, 81-69 victory over previously-unbeaten Oklahoma on Wednesday night.

Davis’s point totals in his past seven games go, starting with Oklahoma – 23, 27, 26, 27, 27, 30, 23. If you hadn’t guessed it already, he’s been UNC’s scoring leader in each of these games.

The senior from White Plains, N.Y. is now part of UNC basketball royalty with his 7-game scoring tear, becoming the first player since Tyler Hansbrough to lead Carolina in scoring for seven straight outings.

Psycho T is the greatest big man in Tar Heel history, as he holds the all-time record with 2,872 points. He was the 2008 National Player of the Year, plus he played an integral role in helping UNC capture the 2009 National Championship.

When Davis’s collegiate career ends, he hopes to be part of a championship-winning team like Hansbrough. The Tar Heels came close in the 2022 title game, but blew a 15-point halftime lead to Kansas.

If Davis keeps shooting like he is now and UNC keeps beating strong teams, there’s no reason for a seventh championship to be anywhere else but Chapel Hill.

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Tyler Hansbrough talks about his undefeated record in Cameron Indoor Stadium

Tar Heel legend Tyler Hansbrough talks about his undefeated record in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Not many UNC athletes can say they owned their arch-rival in their home stadium for their collegiate career, but [autotag]Tyler Hansbrough[/autotag] can.

The former Tar Heel dominated many opposing teams’ courts, including the Duke Blue Devils Cameron Indoor Stadium, where he never experienced a loss in front of the Cameron Crazies. An accomplishment that many others can’t say they have done in their career.

Hansbrough was featured as a special guest on Tidal’s League “Run Your Race” podcast, where he sat down with other former Tar Heel and host of the show Theo Pinson. In the episode, Hansbrough shared memories from his playing days, picked with school fans he disliked the most, and revealed the school he almost ended up at.

Hansbrough also took time to share an unblemished record in Cameron Indoor Stadium, taking a jab at the graduating class that never experienced their team beating UNC on their home court.

It is always great to see the legend talking UNC hoops while owning Duke at the same time.

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Tyler Hansbrough reveals the program he thought he was going to

UNC basketball standout Tyler Hansbrough revealed the SEC school that impressed him the most on his visits and how he almost went there.

Tyler Hansbrough is a North Carolina Tar Heels legend after spending four seasons with the program, helping bring a national championship in the process.

Hansbrough was dominant in his four years with the team and in addition to going to two Final Fours and winning a title, he was also a national player of the year in his career. But what If I told you Hansbrough almost didn’t go to North Carolina and instead would have landed in the SEC with a program that won back-to-back titles during the 2000’s?

During his appearance on the Run Your Race podcast with Theo Pinson, Hansbrough told a story about his recruitment and where he thought he was going to go for college.

“Kentucky was my number two but a lot of people don’t know, I almost went to Florida,” Hansbrough said on the podcast. “Billy Donovan was there at the time and kind of had a change of heart. My first official visit was to Florida and that official visit was absolutely amazing. And I left Gainesville saying ‘I’m going there.’ What they showed me, the nightlife at the campus at the campus was absolutely unbelievable. I never experienced anything like that. Poplar Bluff didn’t have that nightlife. I was like I’m a Gator. But had a change of heart and came to UNC.”

Hansbrough went on to say he had a change of heart and said it was coaches that did it for him.

Luckily for UNC fans, Hansbrough did pick the Tar Heels and more importantly, he didn’t pick Kentucky.

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