Former North Carolina standout and National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough knows a thing or two about what it takes to be the best team in college basketball.
Hansbrough, whose individual trophy case rivals just about anybody who’s ever played the sport, also won a national title with the Tar Heels in 2009, which also happens to be the last year in which UConn reached No. 1 in the polls during the regular season.
After the Huskies ascended to No. 1 on Monday, Hansbrough joined The Field of 68 podcast to discuss whether UConn (15-2) deserved to leapfrog previous No. 1 Purdue (15-2), which lost at unranked Nebraska, 88-72, last Wednesday.
He didn’t hold back in his assessment.
“If you watch UConn play and you watch Purdue play, UConn is a much better team. They have a sophisticated offense, and one of their better players is injured, and they’re still doing their thing without him. And when they get him healthy, (Donovan) Clingan, when he comes back, they’re going to dominate even more,” Hansbrough said.
“UConn is a much better team,” – @THANS50
Are you on team Purdue or team UConn?
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— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 16, 2024
“I like Purdue, this isn’t any shade towards Purdue. But they play in the Big Ten as well, which we just talked about how weak that conference was. The Big East is just a different zip code. There’s a lot more quality teams and quality wins, and they’re going to be tested more. UConn is the top dog in all of college basketball right now.”
Hansbrough’s comments come on the heels of Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley calling the Huskies “the best team in the country,” and Kansas head coach Bill Self asserting that UConn could “win it all regardless of matchups.”
The former Tar Heels legend also saw UConn make light work of his alma mater and now 4th-ranked North Carolina, 87-76 at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 6.
Despite its loss to Nebraska, Purdue received 20 first-place votes in this week’s AP Top 25 poll, to UConn’s 39. The Boilermakers dropped to No. 2 in the rankings.
Purdue will be tested again at Indiana on Tuesday, while UConn welcomes Creighton to Gampel Pavilion Wednesday.
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