DETROIT –The rivalry between North Carolina and Duke just got ratcheted up a notch.

Duke has claimed, that in terms of accomplishments, Christian Laettener is the greatest college basketball player of all. Now Carolina can counter with the remarkable career of Tyler Hansbrough.

The only missing line on Hansbrough’s resume was a national championship. He filled that in last night with a line score that read 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists in an 89-72 triumph over Michigan State.

“It’s something that I’ve dreamed about, pretended,” said Hansbrough when asked about being a fifth grader shooting around in the back yard of his Missouri house. “It’s one of those things I really say how happy I am right now.”

Hansbrough is the first four-time All American in ACC history. He is the North Carolina’s all-time leading scorer in NCAA Tournament play (325 points) and was the 2008 National Player of the Year.

But Hansbrough had been criticized for having a game that only his mother could love. “They can say what they want,” he said, “I’m a national champ.”

Asked if Hansbrough wouldn’t be considered a great player if he didn’t win a national title, Williams said, “There have been some great coaches who haven’t been able to get to a Final Four. There have been some great players. Did Ernie Banks ever win a World Series? I would have trouble agreeing or even carrying on a good conversation with anyone that would look at it that way.”