Hansbrough's 33 points, 9 boards earn Tar Heels Sweet 16 spot

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The mask protecting his broken nose kept sliding around, frustrating Tyler Hansbrough as he tussled in the paint with Michigan State's physical defenders.

"It was like a little bee flying around your face that you try to slap away," he said. "And it won't go away."

So North Carolina's big man tossed it off, then helped the Tar Heels dispose of the determined Spartans.

The sophomore finished with 33 points and nine rebounds to help the Tar Heels hold off Michigan State 81-67 on Saturday night, giving the East Regional's top seed a record 27th trip to the NCAA Tournament's round of 16.

Hansbrough's 33 points were the most by a Tar Heels player in the tournament since Al Wood had 39 against Ralph Sampson and Virginia in the 1981 Final Four. And the Tar Heels (30-6) needed every one of them to outlast ninth-seeded Michigan State and continue their long-running NCAA success in their home state.

The Tar Heels had to withstand Drew Neitzel's 3-point shooting barrage. They had to scrap on the boards with one of the nation's top rebounding teams. And they had to stay composed as the Spartans (23-12) pushed ahead midway through the second half.

"Our kids showed a tremendous amount of toughness today," North Carolina coach Roy Williams sa