Hansbrough’s nose broken after all

By Staff     Mar 6, 2007

? Tyler Hansbrough probably will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament despite breaking his nose during the blood-filled final seconds of No. 8 North Carolina’s victory over 14th-ranked Duke on Sunday.

Hansbrough suffered what coach Roy Williams said Monday was a small nondisplaced fracture when Duke’s Gerald Henderson flagrantly fouled him with 14.5 seconds left in the Tar Heels’ 86-72 victory.

Williams said Hansbrough was being fitted with a custom-made protective mask and should be ready for North Carolina’s first tournament game Friday. Hansbrough leads the team and ranks among the ACC’s leaders with averages of 18.8 points and eight rebounds.

The fracture was discovered after an X-ray Monday morning, Williams said during the ACC’s weekly coaches’ teleconference. Shortly after the game, Williams said Hansbrough’s nose was not broken.

“I gave some bad information because I had a bad source … the source was Tyler,” Williams said. “It’s not completely broken. … His nose did not have to be set, straightened out or anything like that.”

Hansbrough was injured after pulling down the rebound of his own missed free throw and going back up for a layup. Henderson leaped to block the shot, and after the ball left Hansbrough’s hand, Henderson’s right elbow appeared to strike the Tar Heels’ center in the nose, sending him crumpling to the ground.

ACC commissioner John Swofford said the league would not further discipline Henderson.

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