" Indiana Pacers power forward Tyler Hansbrough couldn't stop smiling as he answered questions from the handful of reporters surrounding his locker following their 104-101 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

The second-year forward couldn't have picked a better place to prove he deserves a spot in the rotation.

Hansbrough had 12 points and four rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench while playing in front of a lot of University of North Carolina fans.

"It's always good to come back here," he said. "A lot of people followed me in my college days and now they can come out and see me in the NBA."

Hansbrough put the Pacers up three when he calmly swished two free throws with 10.7 seconds left in the game. The NCAA's all-time leader in free throws went 6-of-6 from the foul line.

"I was extremely confident," Hansbrough said. "I wouldn't want it any place else. That's where I wanted to shoot those free throws, right here (in North Carolina)."

The suspense is over for Pacers swingman Brandon Rush .

Rush has spent the past two-plus months wondering if the Pacers would pick up his option for next season after he was suspended for the first five games of the season for failing the league's mandatory drug test three times.

The Pacers put Rush's mind at ease Friday when they announced that they have picked up his $2.96 million option.

Rush, who has had an inconsistent first two years in the NBA, would have become an unrestricted free agent next summer if the Pacers had not picked up his option by Sunday.

Rush had reason to be concerned about his future with the franchise after the Pacers didn't hesitate to pick up the options of Hansbrough, Roy Hibbert and Darren Collison earlier this month.

Rush is traveling and practicing with the team, but he's not allowed to attend games.

He usually stays an extra 45 minutes after practices to work out with Lance Stephenson and assistant coach Vitaly Potapenko .

"It obviously isn't the ideal situation, but I'm getting in extra conditioning and shots," Rush said. "I'm just embracing it and making the best out of it.""