Chapel Hill, N.C. ? Phil Ford stood at midcourt, waiting for Tyler Hansbrough to take the microphone and address the home crowd. As the reigning national player of the year walked up, Ford playfully bowed in reverence before giving him a hug.

Now even the famed point guard who flawlessly ran Dean Smith’s “Four Corners” offense is looking up at Hansbrough as the storied program’s all-time leading scorer.

Hansbrough scored 20 points Thursday night to break Ford’s 30-year-old mark and help the Tar Heels beat Evansville, a game that was completely overshadowed by the 6-foot-9 senior’s record pursuit.

He needed just nine points coming in, making the record an almost certainty considering that he has failed to reach double figures just six times in his career. But that didn’t mean Hansbrough was oblivious to all the attention about a record that had stood through the careers of names like Michael Jordan, James Worthy and Antawn Jamison.

“I’m usually not nervous before games, and I was a little nervous before tonight just because I felt like there was a lot of pressure,” said Hansbrough, who sat between Ford and coach Roy Williams during the postgame news conference. “One thing for me, I didn’t want us to strictly focus on trying to break a scoring record. We had a game, and I was trying to do whatever I could to help the team.”

Hansbrough finished 7-for-14 from the field and had nine rebounds for North Carolina (10-0), which shook off a slow start and stretched the lead to double figures against the Purple Aces (7-2) shortly after Hansbrough passed Ford midway through the first half.

Ford, now an assistant coach to fellow Tar Heel alumnus Larry Brown with the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats, finished his career in 1978 with 2,290 points.

“I think everyone who knows me knows how much I love this program, and to be a small part of this historic moment for Tyler is a dream come true for me,” Ford said. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

“It’s an honor to be compared in the same breath with Tyler. When I look at how hard he plays and how he listens to coach Williams, as a player, that’s what I tried to do.”

Hansbrough tied Ford on a jumper from the left wing with 14:05 left in the first half, then set the record by muscling in a bank shot over James Haarsma and Pieter van Tongeren with 7:41 to go.

As soon as the record-setting shot went through the net, officials briefly stopped the game to allow Ford, Williams and athletics director Dick Baddour to present Hansbrough with the game ball. Students who carried small signs saying “Phil Ford 2,290” on one side turned it around to reveal “Tyler 2,291+” on the other.

Hansbrough waved to acknowledge the roaring crowd and handled the historic moment with his typically reserved demeanor, though he seemed eager to get back to the game and away from the focus being on him.

After the game, the school showed a video montage of Hansbrough’s career highlights.