Tyler Hansbrough: He isn't Mark Madsen!

For the past three years of my life all I have heard in reference to Tyler Hansbrough is that he is Mark Madsen.  Most non-UNC fans will say this exact same thing.  They say he will be Mark Madsen because he's 6'9, white, and hustles. 

This statement may seem to be true but it bothers me everytime I hear it.  In college Madsen averaged 10.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg and shot just around 60% from the free throw line.  Hansbrough for his career has put up 20.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg, and shot about 77% from the free throw line.  

Mark Madsen was never the offensive threat Hansbrough is and isn't even close in terms of athletic ability.   Hansbrough is stronger, quicker, and much faster.  I'm not here to say Hansbrough will be a great NBA player.  I just don't think writing him off before he's done in college is fair to a player of his caliber.  

The reason people rip on Hansbrough now is because he isn't smooth or fluid like a guy such as Kevin Love.  He still puts up numbers and is a force on the floor.  I don't see anyway to compare him to any current NBA player.

On offense, he won't be a guy putting up 20 points a game but I think 8-12 is fair.  If he gets on a team that likes to run as much as the Tar Heels, those numbers will be easily achievable.  His hustle is on the same level as Ben Wallace and he'll get decent numbers rebounding the ball because of it.  His NBA career may not have longevity because of his physical nature. 

Hansbrough is going to become UNC's all-time leading scorer next season.  I think comparing him to "Mad Dog" is quite a diss.  Madsen played for Stanford at a time when they weren't on the level UNC has been since Hansbrough got there.  He was brought in the year after the Tar Heels last championship in what was supposed to be a re-building year. 

He lead a team of mostly freshmen and sophomores to the Sweet 16.  He also was a big factor in ruining Senior Night for JJ Redick the last game of the regular season, in Durham.  UNC easily should've made the Elite Eight that year but were upset by an up-start George Mason team.   

The moral of this story is that when Hansbrough is in his 8th year in the NBA he'll have better career numbers than 2.2 ppg and 2.6 rpg.  The only thing Madsen might have on Hansbrough is three championships from the Shaq and Kobe days.  

Let's Go Tar Heels!