Tyler Hansbrough pumped his fists and sprinted off the court after another close call against Virginia Tech. Only one problem -- he was heading toward the wrong tunnel.
That was about the only thing that didn't go right for the North Carolina senior Friday.
Hansbrough, who scored 28 points in the top-ranked Tar Heels' 79-76 victory over Virginia Tech in quarterfnals of the ACC tournament, sprinted toward the tunnel near the North Carolina bench. He ran into a group of cheerleaders, who steered him toward the proper Georgia Dome exit.
"Yeah, everybody's laughing about that," Hansbrough said. "I knew it was the wrong tunnel, but I came back out, I saw some friends in the front row laughing about it. Everybody (on the team) was pointing and laughing. I said, 'OK, whatever.' "
ECHEFU'S PREFERENCE: Florida State senior Uche Echefu would prefer to see North Carolina with Ty Lawson in the lineup today in the semifinals of the ACC tournament.
It was Lawson's running 3-pointer at the buzzer that beat Florida State earlier this season.
"I don't think it will make any difference because they're a good team," Echefu said. "But it would be nice."
With or without Lawson, the Seminoles will get a second shot at the Tar Heels after beating Georgia Tech, 64-62, to reach the tournament semifinals for just the second time since joining the league in 1992.
NOT GOING THERE: After losing to North Carolina in last season's ACC tournament, Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said anybody that didn't think his then-19-13 team was deserving of an NCAA invite was "certifiably insane." He refrained from making any impassioned speeches after Friday's loss to the Tar Heels.
"I'm not going there," Greenberg said. "You guys can have some other village idiot give you a good story."
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