North Carolina's Marcus Ginyard goes to the hoop past Rutgers' J.R. Inman, center, and Earl Pittis, right. No. 1 North Carolina beat Rutgers, 93-71, Sunday in Piscataway, N.J.

Piscataway, N.J. ? The last time Tyler Hansbrough left New Jersey after a North Carolina game, he was devastated after a tough loss one game from the Final Four.

On Sunday night, the junior forward left the Garden State with a headache and another easy victory for the top-ranked Tar Heels.

Ty Lawson scored a career-high 26 points, and Hansbrough had 20 points and 11 rebounds before leaving when he hit his head in North Carolina’s 93-71 victory over Rutgers.

Hansbrough, the preseason national player of the year, tried to take a charge from Earl Pettis with 5:47 to play and the Tar Heels leading by 23 points.

Hansbrough went to the floor in a sitting position and then hit the back his head against the knee of a television cameraman and then the bottom of the basket support. He stayed down on the floor for a couple of minutes before being helped up by coach Roy Williams and the trainer and being taken to the locker room. Hansbrough didn’t return.

“A little dizzy,” Hansbrough said, asked how he felt. “I took a pretty good blow when I fell, but I’m feeling better. The cameraman was sitting close to the floor, and I fell back into him.”

Hansbrough was asked if he lost consciousness.

“I don’t remember,” he said. “They said that maybe I have a mild concussion, but they’re not sure yet.”

Williams said Hansbrough had a concussion and then sounded like a coach complaining about the lack of a call on the play.

“First time in the history of college basketball a guy got a concussion with no foul called and that better be all I say,” he said, laughing.

The Tar Heels (9-0) are off to their best start since 1997-98 when they won their first 17 games on the way to the Final Four.

Freshman Corey Chandler had 23 points for the Scarlet Knights (7-4), who had won three of their last four, the loss coming at Nebraska.

“There is a reason they are ranked No. 1 in the country,” Rutgers coach Fred Hill said. “They’re a tough team to slow down. The game plan was to control tempo, but that’s a very difficult thing to do. We did it to the best of our ability, but that’s a very deep and talented team.”

Rutgers, which came in averaging 65.8 points, spread the floor on offense, trying to use as much of the shot clock as possible. It was a great strategy against a team like the Tar Heels, who came in averaging 89.9 points.

The problem for Rutgers was that its young guards had trouble completing passes 25 to 30 feet from the basket. The Tar Heels picked them off to start easy fast-break baskets that allowed them to pull away early.

North Carolina finished with 14 steals, and Rutgers committed 20 turnovers, which the Tar Heels converted into 30 points.

Lawson had five steals – he was only credited with four – that he turned into layups, including a three-point play that made it 39-23 with 2:26 left in the half. That play was part of a 9-0 run that gave North Carolina its first 20-point lead, 43-23 with 1:24 left.

“Ty’s a jet for us,” Hansbrough said of the sophomore guard whose previous career high was 23 points this season against Old Dominion. “He kept us going tonight and played real well.”

North Carolina scored 21 points off Rutgers’ 12 first-half turnovers, and the Tar Heels had 10 fast-break points. Because the Scarlet Knights were playing their deliberate offense, they managed just two points off turnovers and didn’t have a point on the fast break.

The Tar Heels opened the second half on an 8-2 run to go up 55-28 with 17:48 to play.

Their largest lead was 73-44.

Hansbrough was 6-for-15 from the field, but went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.

“He made Tyler change so many more of his shots than I’ve ever seen anybody make him change,” Williams said of Rutgers’ 6-11 sophomore Hamady Ndiaye. “But to feel he didn’t have a great game. He’s 20-11. That’s pretty good.”

No. 21 Arizona 69, Fresno St 50.

Tucson, Ariz. – Jerryd Bayless scored 21 points, and Arizona routed Fresno State for its fourth straight victory.

Chase Budinger added 16 points, and Jordan Hill finished with 15 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats.

Arizona (7-2) played for the second time since coach Lute Olson announced he would extend his personal leave of absence through the end of the season.

In the first game, Arizona spotted Illinois a 12-0 lead in Chicago before rallying for a 78-72 overtime victory.