1. Tyler Hansbrough North Carolina
Hansbrough was a second-team All-American as a freshman and spent the next three seasons as a first-teamer, including national player of the year honors in 2008. This will most likely never happen again, given the propensity for All-Americans to turn pro early. In so many ways, his game was unorthodox (he didn’t make a single three-point shot in 2008).
However, he was a productivity machine that not only put up stats but won ball games. His 124-22 career record speaks for itself. Carolina avenged its final four loss in 2008 and won it all in 2009 during “Psycho T’s” final season. He was well known for his physical play, which is often highlighted by the bloody foul on Duke’s Gerald Henderson that seems to be a part of every Duke/Carolina intro video touting the intensity of the rivalry.
Hansbrough is No. 1 on this list because of his unbelievable productivity and consistency over 4 years. He scored 2,872 points, more than both Redick and Battier, and he stood out in 2009 on a team with a ridiculous amount of talent. Future NBA players Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson, Danny Green, Ed Davis, Larry Drew, and Tyler Zeller were all on that Carolina roster. Yet, when Carolina needed a bucket, there was zero doubt who was getting the ball.