UNC looking forward to Husky rematch

It was supposed to be the big game of the 2008-09 North Carolina women’s basketball schedule.

In the preseason, the story ran in the last basketball preview section: UNC vs. Connecticut.

The powerhouse Huskies were coming to the Smith Center to take on North Carolina, the program that hadn’t lost an ACC Tournament game in four years.

And as the game inched closer, the hype built.

UNC sat at 17-0, ranked No. 2 in the nation. UConn was 17-0 as well and brought the No. 1 overall ranking into the game.

And if there was any doubt as to the Huskies’ dominance before the game, there sure wasn’t any after UConn’s epic thrashing of the Tar Heels, 88-58.

“They came into our house and showed us how to play,” coach Sylvia Hatchell said after the game.

After that game, UNC’s season went quickly downhill. The Tar Heels lost the next two games at Georgia Tech and at Maryland, and bowed out in just the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

After going undefeated through the first half of its season, UNC finished the final 18 games with an 11-7 record.

“We didn’t get the leadership,” Hatchell said.

“As times got tougher, our leadership didn’t get tougher and step up, and I was disappointed in that. Usually, as we get closer to tournament time, we’re a better team. We always do well tournament time, but I was disappointed in some of our losses.”

And this season, UNC again will face Connecticut — this time in Storrs, Conn. — at the start of January, in a matchup that could define its season.

A chance for a season-long redemption with a young North Carolina team is exactly what Hatchell wants.

UNC will be facing lowered expectations after its two leading scorers from last year’s team either graduated (Rashanda McCants) or will miss most of the season recovering from Hodgkin’s lymphoma (Jessica Breland).

But as a whole, North Carolina will have a to find its place in the shifting landscape of the ACC.

The once-dominant big three of Duke, UNC and Maryland all lost substantial contributors, and upstart Florida State carved out its spot, finishing second overall last season.

“In the past it’s been us, Maryland and Duke, and a little bit of a gap there,” Hatchell said.

“Last year, Florida State and Georgia Tech closed that gap, but this year, there is no gap. And I just don’t think there’s much distance between any of the teams.”

Even with a young and unproven team, it’s apparent that UNC will have ample chances to re-establish itself at the top of the ACC.

The matchup against UConn will go a long way toward proving just how legitimate North Carolina’s run at the conference title will be.