CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A stress reaction condition in his right shin likely will force all-America forward Tyler Hansbrough to miss North Carolina's college basketball season-opener.
The Tar Heels, the top-ranked school in the preseason ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, are slated to face unranked Pennsylvania Saturday afternoon at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill.
The 6-foot-9 inch senior from Poplar Bluff, Mo., the reigning national player of the year, has not missed a game in three seasons.
He has been sidelined since the last week of October.
"We've made the decision to hold (Tyler) out of action a little longer," Coach Roy Williams said on the school's Web site. "It's extremely doubtful that he would play against Pennsylvania, and I emphasize extremely doubtful. We will continue to evaluate him and have more information when it becomes available."
Entering the 2008-09 season, Hansbrough ( 2,168 points) is second to former point guard Phil Ford's 2,290 on UNC's all-time scoring list.
