NCAA Basketball: Ranking the last 25 AP Player of the Year award winners

Like J.J. Redick, the North Carolina Tar Heels‘ Tyler Hansbrough is another all-time great whose reputation was built on years of consistent output. While others on this list may not have had better careers than Hansbrough, but their seasons may have been slightly more impressive.

Hansbrough led North Carolina to back-to-back national championship games, winning in his senior year. However, it was his junior year that was more individually impressive.

Before the rise of Ty Lawson, Danny Green and Deon Thompson, the Tar Heels were heavily reliant on Hansbrough and Wayne Ellington for most of their production. This helped the 6-foot-9 forward finish the season with over 22 points, 10 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

Unfortunately, his interior presence was limited on defense and he finished with fewer blocks per game than he had as a freshman.

With these numbers and North Carolina’s success, it is easy to see why Hansbrough won the AP Player of the year award. He shot efficiently, attacked the board relentlessly and played with a high level of intensity that earned him the nickname ‘Psycho T.’

Hansbrough’s lack of an interior defensive presence hurts him when comparing him to other big men on this list. He is second to last in blocks among players who played the four and five positions, ahead of only Doug McDermott.

There is no question that Hansbrough’s number deserved to be retired by the Tar Heels, after his success and leadership. However, in a vacuum, his 2007-2008 NCAA season only lifts him to No. 17 on this list.