Tar Heels’ win big, bloody

Tyler Hansbrough had 26 points and 17 rebounds Sunday before suffering an ugly injury in the closing seconds of No. 8 North Carolina’s 86-72 victory over No. 14 Duke at Chapel Hill, N.C., which clinched the top seeding in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

Senior Reyshawn Terry had 15 points in his final home game for the Tar Heels (25-6, 11-5), who swept the regular-season series with the Blue Devils for the first time in 11 years, avoided their first three-game losing streak under Roy Williams and gave the coach his 100th victory at his alma mater.

But perhaps the lasting image of the game will be Hansbrough’s bloodied face. He went up for a layup with 14.5 seconds left, but after the ball left his hand he was struck in the face by Gerald Henderson’s right elbow.

Hansbrough crumpled to the floor, his nose bleeding profusely onto the court and down his face, and he was restrained from the Duke players as he was being escorted to the locker room.

The officials reviewed the play and ejected Henderson, then said he would be suspended for one game.

“It’s unfortunate that it turned out like it did, but I wasn’t trying to hurt the kid or anything,” Henderson said. “It just turned [out] worse than it was.”

Greg Paulus had 21 points before fouling out, and Henderson finished with 16 for the Blue Devils (22-9, 8-8).

WOMEN

No. 4 North Carolina 60, No. 24 North Carolina State 54 -- Ivory Latta scored 20 points, becoming North Carolina’s career scoring leader, and the Tar Heels ended the Wolfpack’s emotional run through the ACC tournament with a victory in the title game at Greensboro, N.C.

Erlana Larkins had 18 points for North Carolina (30-3), which won its third straight ACC title.

North Carolina State (24-8) had won 11 of 12 since Coach Kay Yow returned after breast cancer treatments. The Wolfpack stunned top-ranked, undefeated Duke on Saturday to reach its first ACC final since 2001.

*

Automatic bids

Teams to automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament so far:

MEN

* Belmont, Atlantic Sun Conference

* Creighton, Missouri Valley Conference

* Davidson, Southern Conference

* Eastern Kentucky, Ohio Valley Conference

* Pennsylvania, Ivy League

* Winthrop, Big South Conference

*

WOMEN

* Chattanooga, Southern Conference

* East Carolina, Conference USA

* Gonzaga, West Coast Conference

* Harvard, Ivy League

* Marist, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

* North Carolina, Atlantic Coast Conference

* Southeast Missouri, Ohio Valley Conference