Four-time All-American Tyler Hansbrough says he never regretted returning to North Carolina for his senior season - not when a stress reaction in his right shin sidelined him at the start of the season, not during the constant expectations and pressure that followed the 2008-09 team.

CHAPEL HILL As the 2009-10 campaign began, many Tar Heel fans expected sophomore Ed Davis to play the biggest role in replacing the offensive firepower lost from last year's national championship team.

It was Stephen Jackson's home debut with the Charlotte Bobcats and it marked Tyler Hansbrough's first professional game back in North Carolina.

CHARLOTTE Those familiar No. 50 Tar Heels' basketball jerseys were back out in full force at Sunday's game at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Bobcats hope to put the brakes on an ugly, seven-game skid Sunday when they return to Charlotte for the opener of a three-game homestand against the Indiana Pacers.

" When No. 4 North Carolina takes the Madison Square Garden floor on Thursday night, it will mark the first of five contests against ranked opponents over the next 30 days.

North Carolina is undefeated through three games, but the defending national champions know they must improve on their last contest when they face a ranked opponent for the first time this season.

Once a rookie is drafted, he must participate in preseason workouts and is generally expected to fade into obscurity on the bench during the regular season.

Roy Williams had promised there would be times when his North Carolina team looked ready to make a serious run at defending the national championship.

Four-time All-America Tyler Hansbrough is gone, as are Ty Lawson, last season's ACC Player of the Year, and Wayne Ellington, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player last spring.

DEERFIELD – Chicago Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas broke his left forearm during a weight training session Friday and will have surgery Saturday.

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Orange County Story sdf Caption By AP, Associated Press , 3 hours, 10 minutes ago Updated: Nov.

As the college basketball season officially kicks off today, I can't believe that there's one name going under the radar.

James Makes Most of NYC Showcase. LeBron scored 33 in his last trip to Madison Square Garden in regular season NBA action before the free agency sweepstakes begin next year.

For years, everything Duke and North Carolina achieved _ the conference championships, Final Four trips and national titles _ has been connected in a back-and-forth game of one-upmanship. These days the Tar Heels have the upper hand.

A year ago this election week, two days before Barack Obama began his own era of "change" in Washington, the Vanderbilt men's basketball program aimed to author its storybook prelude in the cradle of its sport's civilization, roughly 300 miles to the south of D.C. Kevin Stallings kicked off his 10th year as Vanderbilt head coach by taking the most ...

Each week I'll talk about the sport I love, college basketball: &#8226 What does it say when North Carolina loses key players like Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson and Danny Green and still gets picked co-favorite in the ACC by the media.

For the second time in its storied basketball history, Kansas is No. 1 in The Associated Press' preseason Top 25.

High-scoring Roy Williams teams are often the best Roy Williams teams. Oct. 28, 2009 By Adam Lucas These days, offensive production can be measured in many different ways.