Tyler Hansbrough: Will the Real Psycho T Please Stand Up

His 21.1 ppg is enough to lead the league in scoring.

The 7.6 rpg he averages is top ten.

When discussing his numbers in just conference games, the 20.0 points and 8.0 rebounds he averages both put him in the top five.

Not a bad season to be having, right?

That is unless you are reigning national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough.

In most years, those numbers would be enough to be considered for the ACC player of the year award, and thrown in the discussion for national player of the year. Receiving those accolades becomes even more likely when you consider that the numbers come from the leading scorer and rebounder of the best team in the ACC and possibly the new #1 team in the country (depending on voting this weekend).

The reason I bring this up is that Hansbrough is no where near the conversation for national player of the year. He isn't even (and shouldn't be) brought up when discussing the ACC player of the year.

Why? Because he is not even the player of the year on his own team. That distinction would go the engine behind the high-powered Tar Heel offense - Ty Lawson.

The way I see it, there are nine other guys in the ACC that could and should be considered for the player of the year award: Toney Douglas, Jack McClinton, Tyrese Rice, Malcolm Delaney, Ty Lawson, Gerald Henderson, Kyle Singler, Trevor Booker, and Jeff Teague.

Look at that list for a second. Toney Douglas and Jack McClinton are both averaging over 23 ppg. Jeff Teague had his name thrown around as national player of the year a month ago. So did Ty Lawson, two months ago.

There is a chance that Hansbrough ends up as a second team all-ACC player this season (for the record, I mean that he ends up deserving to be a second team all-ACC player because there is no way that Trevor Booker is voted on to the first team over Hansbrough or fellow media darling Kyle Singler).

Regardless, the point is that Psycho T is more like Mildly Unbalanced T this year. Bad joke aside, what is the reason?

Well, for starters, Hansbrough began the season injured. How seriously? Not important.

What is important is that he missed some time. Hansbrough sat four of the first seven games, and played a limited amount in two of the others. Not being on the court (for games or practices) allowed other guys on the team to step-up and grow an expanded role on the team.

Guys like Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green, all of who are having great seasons.

Hansbrough is not a selfish guy. He is not me first. He turned his back on NBA riches not once, not twice, but three times. He came back last season even though his team reached the Final Four and he was national player of the year. Setting Carolina records and winning back-to-back player of the year awards must have been an enticing thought, but I also am pretty sure that the #1 goal (by far) of coming back to school was to win a ring.

Yup, Hansbrough just wanted to win a national title.
(photo credit: Rush the Court)

You want evidence? How about the fact that he defers to his teammates. He has a tendency to fade during games not because he has lost his aggressiveness or his ability. It is because Lawson, Ellington, Green, and fellow bigs Ed Davis and Deon Thompson are all good enough that they can carry the Heels for stretches.

Hansbrough can still put up the numbers. He had 27 and 7 last night in a win over NC State. But the fact that he can step back and allow someone else to take over, especially when it is someone as talented as his teammates are, is what makes this Carolina team a favorite to win the national title.