UNC Legend Tyler Hansbrough Is Now A Confirmed Tennessee Fan
You know what they say: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
And it looks like Tyler Hansbrough made a new friend.
Just after the Tennessee Volunteers took down the Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA Tournament Saturday, Hansbrough tweeted his support for Big Orange.
"I will give my all for Tennessee today."
As a former North Carolina Tar Heel, Hansbrough's hatred for Duke runs deep.
Geographically, the schools are 10 minutes apart. The pair has a combined 11 NCAA tournament titles and has produced some of the best alumni in the sport, including Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving.
So you know Hansbrough was thrilled when the 4th-seeded Vols beat the 5th-seeded Blue Devils, 65-52, and sent the Duke boys home to Durham.
Of course, Hansbrough's newfound Vol fandom might be superficial. But as a Tennessee alumna, I'll allow it.
Duke fans, though, didn't take the loss — or Hansbrough's tweet — so well.
Boo hoo. Duke basketball is so oppressed.
It was an A+ troll job by Tyler.
Tyler Hansbrough was a superstar at UNC.
Psycho T led the North Carolina Tar Heels to an NCAA Championship in 2009. He was a four-time first-team All ACC selection and a three-time consensus first-team All-American. In 2008, he was named ACC Player of the Year and the consensus Naismith College Player of the Year. UNC retired his No. 50 jersey.
And not to be overlooked, Hansbrough had an impressive 6-2 record against Duke during his college career.
So Duke fans feel the same way about him that I — a 2010 Tennessee grad — feel about Tim Tebow.
This season, UNC missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. They had a 20-13 overall record and finished seventh in the ACC. The school passed on an opportunity to play in the NIT.
That's OK, though. Because Hansbrough's new favorite team is headed to the Sweet 16.
Welcome aboard, Tyler! See you Thursday.