Keeping It Heel
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North Carolina Basketball: 10 players the rivals loved to hate the most

By Joey Loose

Jan 21, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Former North Carolina Tar Heels great Tyler Hansbrough presents forward Armando Bacot (5) with the game ball after the game. Bacot became the all-time Tar Heels rebounding leader during the game breaking Hansbrough’s record. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Former North Carolina Tar Heels great Tyler Hansbrough presents forward Armando Bacot (5) with the game ball after the game. Bacot became the all-time Tar Heels rebounding leader during the game breaking Hansbrough’s record. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 6, 2009; Detroit, MI, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Tyler Hansbrough (50) celebrates after defeating the Michigan State Spartans 89-72 in the championship game of the Final Four in the 2009 NCAA mens basketball tournament at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 6, 2009; Detroit, MI, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Tyler Hansbrough (50) celebrates after defeating the Michigan State Spartans 89-72 in the championship game of the Final Four in the 2009 NCAA mens basketball tournament at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Tyler Hansbrough

There’s little debate that Christian Laettner was public enemy No. 1 for Tar Heels fans, and there’s little debate that Tyler Hansbrough would return the favor the following decade. He was nicknamed Psycho-T for his aggressive style and demeanor and would become a force at North Carolina, arriving in 2005 and not leaving until he had helped rewrite the record books four years later.

Much like Montross, Hansbrough is known for a bloody performance against Duke, breaking his nose during a game against the Blue Devils as a sophomore, a 26-point, 17-rebound performance in a Tar Heels win.

The following season he was the AP Player of the Year but returned to school as a senior, helping take North Carolina to another national championship. He won six of his eight games against rival Duke, but had impressive performances against nearly everyone he faced.

Hansbrough was one of the most talented and successful college basketball players of this century. Combine that with his physicality and it’s not hard to see why he was so hated by opposing teams and fanbases alike.

He’s a North Carolina legend. His NBA career was not very successful, playing parts of seven seasons after being a lottery pick in 2009. His work with the Tar Heels is what’s important and you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who Duke fans hate more than Hansbrough himself.

dark. Next. Biggest UNC NBA Draft Busts of All Time

This concludes a look at some of the villains of the past; the players on North Carolina that the opposition just loved to hate. Do you agree with who we’ve selected? There were a dozen names we could’ve easily included on this list, but that just shows you the ferocity of the rivalries in college basketball.

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