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North Carolina continues long road string vs. Penn

Dec 4, 2007 - 2:08 PM No. 1 North Carolina (7-0) at Penn (2-6) 7:00 pm EST

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Tyler Hansbrough may be getting roughed up by opponents, but North Carolina has remained relatively unscathed.

The top-ranked Tar Heels play the fourth of five straight road games on Tuesday when they meet Pennsylvania.

The Tar Heels already have played two games in Las Vegas (Old Dominion and Brigham Young), visited Ohio State on Wednesday and traveled to Kentucky on Saturday. They will play at Rutgers on December 16, completing the longest stretch they have been away from home since the 1996-97 season.

Hansbrough is among the nation's leaders in free throw makes and attempts in part because his physical play in the post. He averages over 10 free-throw attempts.

"I've never coached a player who takes as much physical abuse as he does," said North Carolina coach Roy Williams of Hansbrough. "He's a bull in the china shop, and all those pieces of china like to hit back."

Unlike previous seasons, Hansbrough's supporting cast is making opponents pay for their respect for the North Carolina center as the Tar Heels are off to a 7-0 start for the first time under Williams and the first time since the 1998-99 squad began the season 8-0.

Guards Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson and forward Danny Green are all averaging more than 10 points per game for the Tar Heels. In Saturday's 86-77 victory at Kentucky, it was Green who stepped up with 20 points to lead the team.

Penn (2-6) will be playing its second ranked opponent in as many games after losing 87-61 to No. 21 Villanova on Saturday. Senior guard Brian Grandieri leads the Quakers with 13.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.