WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina

Tar Heel women prepare for No. 4 Duke

By David Reynolds

Feb 9, 2009

Excuse the North Carolina women’s basketball team if it experiences a bit of déjà vu before its showdown against No. 4 Duke.

Monday night brings another top women’s program to Chapel Hill, giving UNC an opportunity to announce itself to the nation as a Final Four contender. Once again, the crowd at the Smith Center should be one of the largest the team has had in its history. The increased media attention has returned, and anyone with any interest in women’s basketball will be checking out the action.

Of course, the Tar Heels would like to forget about what happened the last time these events unfolded – their No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup against Connecticut. The Huskies piled up a 16-point lead by the end of the first half and ended UNC’s perfect start to the season with an 88-58 rout. The loss was the beginning of a three-game slide for the Tar Heels.

“I’m hoping that we’ll play better and I hope we accept the challenge that we can rebound and get on the boards,” Hatchell said.

“We’ve won three games since then so I think we’re re-focused and ready to go.”

But this game also has a major bit of intrigue that was lacking against UConn. The recent rivalry between UNC and Connecticut still doesn’t come close to the intensity of UNC-Duke. It’s no secret that these teams don’t like each other, and that fact the two teams traditionally have been highly ranked only has enhanced the rivalry.

“When you play Duke, and we’ve had some really good games the last few years, you know you can play at the highest level. You can play anybody,” Hatchell said. “Those games prepare us so much for tournament time. Win or lose, they help you.”

The Tar Heels’ confidence has been on the upswing during its current three game winning streak, and a win against their rival should go a long way in fully repairing the team’s pre-Connecticut perception of itself. While a loss to Duke wouldn’t derail the season by any means (UNC would still sport a 20-4 record), it certainly won’t boost the team’s morale heading into the home stretch of the season.

One point of emphasis Hatchell’s reminded her starters of is the importance of staying out of foul trouble. Rashanda McCants, the team’s leading scorer, fouled out in losses to Maryland and Georgia Tech, and Jessica Breland also had trouble staying on the floor in those contests due to fouls. Hatchell said the results of those games might have gone the other way if UNC had played smarter defensively and not committed unnecessary fouls.

As for the Blue Devils, they have remade themselves in their second season under coach Joanne P. McCallie. They’ve evolved into a team that resembles North Carolina’s program, pushing the ball to score more points and applying more pressure defensively. Chante Black leads the Duke attack with 15.3 points per game and has scored in double figures in every game this season.

The change in philosophy has produced immediate dividends; after suffering 10 losses last season, Duke rolls into Chapel Hill with a 19-2 record and perched on top of the ACC standings.

“They’re playing more up-tempo now. They’re playing different than they did last year,” Hatchell said. “They’re playing more pressure defenses – last year they were more of a matchup zone type team. They’ve changed their style a lot so I think both teams will go up and down the floor.”