The Warrior: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
If the 6-9 junior wins the Naismith and/or Wooden award, there will be skeptics who will equate it with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oscars. So what, says Bilas.

"Tyler Hansbrough is the hardest-working player I've ever seen," says Bilas.

Bilas played with Johnny Dawkins and Mark Alarie. He was an assistant with the Duke teams that had Bobby Hurley. Hansbrough works harder than Hurley?

"I'm putting him above Michael Jordan in that regard, and I played against Jordan in college," says Bilas. "I've never seen him take a play off. Never. Even Michael Jordan took a play off once in awhile."

That's high praise for a Tar Heel, especially coming from a Dookie. Hansbrough is the only ACC player averaging a double-double (23.4 ppg, 10.4 rebounds), but that is not what sets him apart, according to Bilas.

"Relentless," he says. "That's the only word for it. Not everybody has the capacity for the work that it takes. I hear people wondering how good a pro Hansbrough will be. He's going to be a terrific NBA player. He will make your team better. He'll improve your team when he steps on the court, and at every practice. He will make everyone on his team better, just by the effort he gives."

I remind Bilas of one of the more YouTube'd plays of the season. North Carolina is up late at home against UNC-Asheville and their 7-7 center, Kenny George (see below). Hansbrough takes a pass at the elbow. He is open — George plays defense like a hockey goalie — but instead of shooting he drives and dunks over George, the tallest player in Division I history.

"That makes sense," says Bilas. "Tyler Hansbrough has to climb the highest mountain. He took it as a challenge. That's the type of player he is."

The Pleasant Surprise: Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Before the season began, the 6-8 sophomore forward was not named to either the Big East's first or second team. He was not even a Big East honorable mention pick.

Then the Irish played Kansas State and the aforementioned Beasley at Madison Square Garden in early December. Harangody held Beasley to what was then a career-low 19 points while matching that total himself. He outrebounded Beasley, 14-13, and suddenly people began to pay notice to the burly big from Schererville, Ind.

"He's very skilled," says Bilas. "People see him as a banger, but he's not. He has an exceptionally soft touch for a guy his size. He goes over his shoulder to his left and people can't stop it. They know what he's going to do, but it doesn't make a difference.

Harangody scored 40 points in Notre Dame's loss at Louisville last week. It was the first time in fifteen years an Irish player had hit that mark. The website collegehoopsnet.com did not have Harangody on its preseason "Top 100 Players" list. Now Harangody, who averages 21.1 ppg and 10.5 boards, is No. 19. We have not seen anything rise up a list faster and with less advance notice since Gino Vanelli released his first single.

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"Harangody has a high-revving motor," says Bilas. "Most great players make their biggest jump between their freshman and sophomore seasons. They're the ones who really get it. What it will take. Harangody is that player this year."

The son of a former Indiana University football player, Harangody has nearly doubled his point and rebound totals from a year ago. He attributes that to having lost 10 pounds last summer and working extensively on his shot.

"I just saw that I needed to become quicker around the basket and be in better shape," says Harangody, who leads the Big East in scoring and is second in rebounding. "It's made a difference."

The Twin Peaks: Brook and Robin Lopez, Stanford
A questionable — make that poor — foul call at the end of regulation at Pauley Pavilion on Thursday evening kept the No. 7 Cardinal from scoring an upset at No. 3 UCLA. Stanford's Lawrence Hill appeared to block Darren Collison's game-tying attempt cleanly (quoth Collison himself: "That was a block. That was a complete block. We were fortunate to get a foul called.").

If no foul had been called, Stanford would have won and more people would be swooning over Brook Lopez's 18-point, 13-rebound effort against Kevin Love and the Bruins.

The Lopez twins, a pair of seven-foot sophomores out of Fresno, are fun to watch. Brook is a classic post player who seems to enjoy degree-of-difficulty shots, such as the baseline turnaround jumper turning to his right that he hit over Love late in the game. Robin is less polished at the moment (someone in Bristol might say he has "less upside") and more of a Kurt Rambis type. Both are athletic, though, volleyball players masquerading as hoopsters. Together, they should take the Cardinal beyond the tourney's first weekend.

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