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No. 1 North Carolina Beats Kentucky, Improves To 7-0

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A Tribune staff, wire report

Published: December 2, 2007

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Every time Tyler Hansbrough caught the ball in the post, Kentucky's players swarmed around him, swatting at the ball.

The North Carolina big man did not retaliate to the bruising. He responded at the free-throw line.

Hansbrough made 10 of 12 free throws as the top-ranked Tar Heels capitalized on Kentucky's 25 fouls and beat the Wildcats 86-77 on Saturday, their fourth straight win in the annual matchup between college basketball's winningest programs.

"I've never coached a player who takes as much physical abuse as he does," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said of his star. "He's a bull in the china shop, and all those pieces of china like to hit back."

The Tar Heels are off to a 7-0 start for the first time under Williams and the first time since the 1998-99 squad began the season 8-0. Kentucky is now 4-2 under new coach Billy Gillispie.

With Hansbrough closely guarded, reserve Danny Green led the Tar Heels with a career-high 20 points.

The plan to crowd Hansbrough backfired on the Wildcats, who struggled to generate much rhythm against North Carolina's physical and quick attack.

For the third straight year, Kentucky used a swarm defense to largely limit Hansbrough from the field. Unlike the past two years, in which he scored a combined 13 points, Hansbrough was a force at the line.

He finished with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, his third double-double of the season. Gillispie suggested that Hansbrough wasn't the innocent victim on all those fouls.

"I think sometimes the offensive player may initiate more contact than the casual fan may think," Gillispie said.

Patrick Patterson, Kentucky's blue-chip freshman power forward, held his own against North Carolina's tough frontcourt but got little help from his teammates. Top shot-blocker Perry Stevenson picked up his fourth foul with 8 minutes left in the first half, and fouled out early in the second.

Up 44-39 early in the second half, the Tar Heels went on a 13-0 run to put the game out of reach.

GEORGETOWN 61, FAIRFIELD 49: No. 5 Georgetown overcame a mediocre game from Roy Hibbert and an injury scare for Jessie Sapp to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2003.

DaJuan Summers finished with 16 points, and Jonathan Wallace added 13. Hibbert had seven points and seven rebounds.

The Hoyas lost Sapp, their second-leading scorer, only 23 seconds into the game. He came down hard on the floor when he went after a rebound at the defensive end on Fairfield's first possession. He returned for the second half but only played 6 minutes and missed his only shot.

DUKE 79, DAVIDSON 73: Gerald Henderson scored 21 points, and Greg Paulus had two key baskets and a steal in the final 2 minutes for No. 7 Duke (8-0).

MICHIGAN ST. 80, JACKSONVILLE 51: Raymar Morgan scored 24 points, and Marquise Gray had 11 for No. 10 Michigan State (6-1) in its 31st straight home nonconference victory.

LOUISVILLE 47, MIAMI (OHIO) 44: Earl Clark had 10 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, and No. 12 Louisville held off stubborn Miami of Ohio.

Derrick Caracter added 12 points and five rebounds, and Terrence Williams had 12 points and seven boards for the Cardinals (5-1).

PITTSBURGH 78, TOLEDO 52: Sam Young had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Mike Cook added 14 points for No. 14 Pittsburgh (7-0) in its fourth win in a row by at least a 26-point margin.

BUTLER 65, OHIO ST. 46: Freshman Matt Howard scored 23 points and No. 16 Butler (7-0) overcame a 12-point deficit in the second half for its fourth straight win over a foe from one of the six traditional power conferences.

Kousta Koufos led Ohio State (4-3) with 16 points.

CLEMSON 85, S. CAROLINA 74: K.C. Rivers had 24 points and eight rebounds to help No. 18 Clemson win its seventh consecutive game to start a season for the third straight time.

GONZAGA 85, UCONN 82: Jeremy Pargo scored eight of his 23 points in the final 4:17 and No. 19 Gonzaga (7-1) held off Connecticut in The Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase. A.J. Price led the Huskies (5-2) with 24 points.

XAVIER 90, BELMONT 49: Stanley Burrell scored a season-high 18 points, and No. 23 Xavier turned (6-1) up the defensive pressure to win its fifth straight.

TAMPA 79, PALM BEACH

ATLANTIC 56: Jeremy Black scored a game-high 20 points as the Spartans (4-1) won their third straight game.

FLAGLER 77, SAINT LEO 51: Kyle Rowland led the Lions (3-1) with 14 points.

Women

WEST VIRGINIA 64, ST. BONAVENTURE 37: LaQuita Owens scored 20 points to lead No. 15 West Virginia (6-1) to a victory in the FAU Holiday Classic.

GEORGE WASHINGTON 64, SAMFORD 57: Kimberly Beck scored 21 points and Jessica Adair added 19 and eight rebounds to lead No. 16 George Washington (6-3) in the Four Points by Sheraton Invitational.

VANDERBILT 90, ST. MARY'S 69: Christina Wirth scored 18 points and had six rebounds and No. 23 Vanderbilt (7-1), sparked by a 20-0 run in the first half, rolled over St. Mary's.

WYOMING 61, DENVER 45: Aubrey Vandiver scored 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead the No. 25 Cowgirls (6-0).

TAMPA 61, ROLLINS 49: Angela Guiu scored a team-high 20 points in her return to her hometown of Winter Park to lead the Spartans (7-1) to a win over the defending Sunshine State Conference regular-season champions in the teams' conference opener.

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