On the same day that North Carolina was chosen as the preseason No. 1 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll, the Tar Heels received some bad news.
Senior forward Tyler Hansbrough, the 2008 national college basketball player of the year, has a stress reaction condition in his right shin and will sit out practice indefinitely. Head coach Roy Williams made the announcement Thursday evening.
Hansbrough did not practice Thursday, but had an MRI that revealed the stress reaction.
There is no timetable for his return and Williams will not have a statement until Friday after he meets with the UNC medical staff and Hansbrough.
“There’s no real timetable for Tyler Hansbrough’s return to practice,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said on air. “It could be as a little as a week, but it could be a little bit longer….All in all it’s not termed as a long-term problem that’s going to drag on through the season. He needs rest, he will get it and as soon as he’s back on the floor, they expect to have him for the rest of the season.”
Hansbrough averaged 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds last year and was the National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Male Athlete of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP and NCAA East Regional MVP.
The Poplar Bluff, Mo., native has played in all 108 games in his first three years as a Tar Heel.
The Tar Heels open the season Nov. 15 against Penn and then have a series of tough games against Kentucky (Nov. 18); in the Maui Classic; and against Michigan State Dec. 3.
