University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Women's Hoops Takes On Georgia Saturday
March 23, 2000 | Women's Basketball
March 23, 2000
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Complete NCAA Tournament Coverage
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Tar Heels continue play in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 25, when they face Georgia in a West Region semifinal game. Tipoff is 7 p.m. PST (10 EST) and the game will be televised by ESPN. Rutgers and Alabama-Birmingham play in the other semifinal game.
The semifinal winners meet on Monday at 9 p.m. PST (midnight Eastern) for a trip to the Final Four. That game also will be televised by ESPN.
Carolina News to Note
UNC has won eight of its past nine games and nine of the last 11.
The Tar Heels are making their seventh Sweet 16 appearance in the past eight years. This year marks the first time, however, that UNC has advanced to the regional semifinal after playing first and second-round games on the road.
The Tar Heels have won 20 games for the seventh time in the past eight years.
Junior forward LaQuanda Barksdale is the Atlantic Coast Conference leader both in scoring (18.0 points per game) and in rebounding (8.7 per game). She has scored in double figures in 28 of 32 games this season and is averaging 25 points and 11.5 rebounds through the first two rounds of the tournament.
During the course of the season, junior Nikki Teasley has recorded the 1,000th point, the 500th assist and the 200th steal of her career. Barksdale and junior Juana Brown also have passed the 1,000 career points mark.
Teasley needs 13 assists to claim UNC's career assists record. She already owns the single game and single season marks.
Teasley was named MVP of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and Barksdale joined her on the all-tournament first team. Teasley has earned All-ACC Tournament honors in each of her three years at UNC.
Barksdale and Teasley also were named All-ACC, Barksdale on the first team and Teasley on the third.
In each of the past two years and in three of the last six tournaments, the NCAA champion has come from UNC's bracket.
Quick Facts on the Tar Heels
| Record: | 20-12 overall, 8-8 ACC |
| Ranking: | Unranked |
| Head coach: | Sylvia Hatchell |
| Hatchell's career record: | 561-225 (25th year) |
| Hatchell's record at UNC: | 289-145 (14th year) |
| Assistant head coach: | Andrew Calder |
| Assistant coaches: | Ann Hancock, Tracey Williams |
| Director of basketball operations: | Shannon Spencer |
| Video coordinator: | Lance Underwood |
| Ticket manager: | Richie Grimsley |
| Strength and conditioning coach: | Jodi Hopkins |
| Academic advisor: | Jan Boxill |
| Team physician: | Dr. Tom Brickner |
| Head athletic trainer: | C.B. Lehn |
| Team managers: | Christina Powers, TaNesha Nobles, Ashley Davidson |
Quick Facts on UNC
| Location: | Chapel Hill, N.C. |
| Chartered: | 1789, as the nation's first state university |
| Enrollment: | 24,180 |
| Nickname: | Tar Heels |
| Mascot: | Ram |
| Home court: | Carmichael Auditorium (10,000) |
| Conference: | Atlantic Coast |
| Colors: | Carolina blue and white |
| Chancellor: | William McCoy |
| Director of Athletics: | Dick Baddour |
| Senior Assoc. A.D. (Olympic Sports): | Dr. Beth Miller |
| UNC athletics website: | www.TarHeelBlue.com |
Tar Heel Leaders
| Scoring leader: | LaQuanda Barksdale, 18.0 ppg. |
| Rebounding leader: | LaQuanda Barksdale, 8.7 rpg. |
| Assists leader: | Nikki Teasley, 6.2 per game |
| Steals leader: | Nikki Teasley, 2.2 per game |
| Team captains: | LaQuanda Barksdale, Jasmyn Huntington |
UNC in the NCAA Tournament
| All-time record: | 21-11 in 13th appearance |
| In 1999: | Lost 82-59 to Purdue in the Midwest Region semifinals |
| 2000 Bid: | At-large, No. 5 seed in the West Region |
| All-time record in West Region play: | 4-2 in third appearance |
| All-time record in regional semifinals: | 2-6 |
On the Air
Saturday's game will be broadcast by ESPN. Tipoff is 7 p.m. PST, 10 p.m. EST.
Carolina's NCAA Tournament games will be broadcast on radio by the Carolina Women's Basketball Network. The flagship station is 1360-AM WCHL. Stephen Gates will handle the play-by-play and Jan Boxill will provide color commentary.
UNC vs. Georgia
North Carolina and Georgia have met four times. All four games have been in tournament play and all four have been won by the Lady Bulldogs.
The first of the meetings, in 1983, also was the Tar Heels' very first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Scouting the Lady Bulldogs
Georgia, 31-3 overall and 13-1 in Southeastern Conference play, is led in scoring by twin guards Coco Miller (15.4 ppg) and Kelly Miller (15.2 ppg), both juniors. Junior guard Deana Nolan contributes 12.3 points per game and sophomore center Tawana McDonald adds 12.1.
The Lady Bulldogs are coached by Andy Landers, who has a record of 517-151 in his 21st year as Georgia's coach.
UNC vs. the Rest of the West Region
North Carolina and Rutgers have never met before in women's basketball play.
North Carolina and Alabama-Birmingham have met once, on Jan. 8, 1981. In the Lady Rebel-Dial Classic in Oxford, Miss., UAB defeated Carolina 82-74.
Familiar Foes
UNC junior LaQuanda Barksdale hasn't faced Georgia, but she is very familiar with two of the Bulldogs' players. Barksdale teamed with Coco and Kelly Miller last summer on the World University Games team that won a silver medal in Spain. Barksdale and Kelly Miller were in the starting lineup for all six games of the competition and also were roommates during the trip.
Temporary West Coast Residents
The Tar Heels arrive at the West Regional already quite accustomed to the local time zone. Carolina has been on Pacific Standard Time since the evening of March 15, when the team flew from Raleigh-Durham to Los Angeles. The Tar Heel players, staff, band and cheerleaders arrived in Santa Barbara around 2 a.m. PST Thursday morning, or 5 a.m. back home.
Carolina's second-round game with Rice wasn't finished until around 11 p.m. PST on Monday night, so the entire UNC party stayed on the West Coast. The Tar Heels spent Tuesday night in Oxnard, Calif., and flew to Portland from Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, a week after setting up camp in Pacific Standard Time.
UNC in the Field of 64
UNC is making its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance and its eighth in the past nine years. This year's is Carolina's ninth appearance under coach Sylvia Hatchell, who is in her 14th season in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels reached the field via an at-large bid for the second year in a row. Prior to 1999, Carolina had made its last four appearances via automatic bids earned as the ACC Tournament champion. UNC reached the title game this season, but fell to Duke.
Carolina as the Fifth Seed
North Carolina is making its first-ever appearance as a No. 5 seed. The seed is UNC's lowest since 1992, when the Tar Heels were seeded seventh in the East Region. UNC has never been seeded lower than seventh in the NCAA tournament.
Tar Heels' Tournament Success
North Carolina has advanced to the Sweet 16 in its last seven NCAA Tournament appearances, dating back to the 1993 season. The Tar Heels won the NCAA Championship in 1994, reached the Elite Eight in 1998 and advanced to the regional semifinals in 1993, ˇ95, ˇ97 and ˇ99. (UNC did not earn a tournament bid in 1996.)
Carolina is 21-11 all-time in tournament play and is making its third appearance. The 2000 bid is the Tar Heels' ninth under coach Sylvia Hatchell. They are now 19-7 in NCAA Tournament play during her tenure.
Good Company
Three times in the past six years, the NCAA Champion has come from the bracket to which Carolina was assigned. In 1999, UNC lost to eventual-champion Purdue in the Midwest Region semifinal. In 1998, UNC lost to eventual-champion Tennessee in the Mideast Regional final. And in 1994, it was UNC - playing in the East Region - that emerged with the title.
Tar Heels to 20
With the second-round win over Rice, Carolina reached the 20-wins mark for the seventh time in the past eight years. After losing at Clemson on Feb. 10, UNC was 12-11 and wondering whether it would even make the tournament. The Tar Heels have won eight of nine games since then and have advanced to their seventh Sweet 16 in the past eight years.
The Tournament Thus Far...
First round: UNC 62, Maine 57 on March 18
Maine jumped out to a 7-0 lead and stretched the advantage to as many as 11 points in the second half before UNC used a 19-7 run to close the gap. The Tar Heels took their first lead of the game on a free throw by Nikki Teasley with 9:26 to play, 43-42. Although Maine tied the score at 50-50 with 5:21 remaining, the lead never changed hands again.
Junior forward LaQuanda Barksdale led Carolina with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Junior center Jackie Higgins scored 16 points to go with her six rebounds, and junior guard Nikki Teasley added 14 points and eight assists while committing only two turnovers.
UNC had 13 turnovers in the game, but only three in the second half. The Tar Heels, who shot 39.3 percent, won with a sub-40 field goal percentage for just the fifth time this season. Their 21.4 (3-for-14) three-point percentage was the team's lowest since a 2-for-15 (13.3 percent) game against Maryland on Jan. 30.
Second round: UNC 83, Rice 50 on March 20
Carolina hit its fifth-highest scoring total of the season in advancing to its seventh Sweet 16 in the past eight years. UNC shot 50 percent in the first half and committed just four turnovers to go with seven steals in taking a 47-22 halftime lead. Rice's first-half total marked a UNC opponent's lowest in a half this season.
Barksdale led the team with 27 points and 10 rebounds, her second double-double of the tournament and 10th of the season. Teasley shot 7-for-9 from the field for 16 points and also handed out nine assists. Higgins had 10 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Leah Sharp was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field (2-for-2 from three-point range) for eight points.
The Tar Heels led by as many as 34 points in the second half. They were 24-for-29 from the free throw line.
On a Roll
The Tar Heels have won eight of their last nine games and nine of the past 11. UNC closed out the regular-season with four consecutive victories, then won twice in the ACC Tournament to reach the championship game, where the Tar Heels fell to No. 11 Duke. UNC beat Maine in its first-round game and Rice in the second round.
Over the last nine games, UNC is averaging 72.8 points per game, compared with 71.5 for the season. The Tar Heels' shooting percentages also are up over the past nine games: 44.1 from the field (compared with 39.5 for the season), 32.4 from three-point range (32.0 for the season) and 71.9 percent from the free throw line (69.3 for the season).
Carolina's rebounding is down over the past few games, however. The Tar Heels have averaged 36.2 boards per game over the past nine games, compared with 40.2 per game for the season.
Most Valuable, Indeed
Junior guard Nikki Teasley entered the NCAA Tournament on the heels of an outstanding Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament performance that culminated in Most Valuable Player honors. In the quarterfinal game, against Clemson on March 4, Teasley had six assists and five rebounds but scored just six points on 2-for-14 shooting. That night, she purchased a couple of basketballs at Wal-mart and spent some time shooting on an outdoor court next to the team's hotel.
The following day against Virginia, Teasley scored 17 points in the Tar Heels' win, and in the championship game against Duke, she poured in 31 points and tied a school record with seven three pointers.
Teasley averaged 18 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and just 1.7 turnovers in UNC's three tournament games. She has been named to the All-ACC Tournament team in each of her three years at UNC.
Junior LaQuanda Barksdale joined Teasley on the All-ACC Tournament team after averaging 18.3 points and 8.7 rebounds, both team highs. Barksdale's biggest game came against Clemson, when she scored 26 points on an afternoon when the rest of the team was a combined 11-for-38. She went on to score 17 against Virginia and 12 against Duke.
A Welcome Hot Streak
After watching their shooting percentage plummet to the bottom of the ACC standings, the Tar Heels had their best shooting game of the season against Georgia Tech on Feb. 13. UNC shot 56.9 percent from the field against the Yellow Jackets, hitting 33 of 58 shots. Carolina came into that game shooting 38.2 from the field, ninth in the league.
In the first meeting of the season with Georgia Tech, UNC shot its lowest percentage of the season, 24.4.
The Tar Heels averaged 43.3 percent from the field through their first 11 games of the year, ending with the Dec. 30 win over California. UNC shot 33.4 percent from the field in the next 12 games, beginning with the Jan. 3 loss to NC State.
UNC followed up the Georgia Tech game with three performances in the 40's to end the regular season. Against Wake Forest on Feb. 17, UNC shot 42.9 percent. Carolina averaged 41.8 percent against FSU on Feb. 22 and against Duke on Feb. 27.
At the end of the regular season, UNC was shooting 39.2 percent, eighth in the conference.
The Tar Heels averaged 45.7 percent shooting from the field over their last four regular-season games.
UNC has lost only one game this season, the ACC final against Duke, after shooting 40 percent or better from the field.
The Tar Heels are shooting 44.8 percent in the NCAA Tournament.
Thousand-Point Club
Three UNC juniors - LaQuanda Barksdale, Juana Brown and Nikki Teasley - all have passed the 1,000 career points mark this season. Teasley hit her 1,000th first, during the game at Maryland on Dec. 2. Barksdale joined her in the elite club during the home game against Maryland on Jan. 30. Brown scored her 1,000th during the Feb. 10 game at Clemson.
Barksdale, Brown and Teasley are the second trio of 1,000-point scorers to play on the same UNC squad in recent years. The 1994 team also featured three players who had passed that mark: seniors Sylvia Crawley and Tonya Sampson, and junior Charlotte Smith.
More Milestones
In addition to passing the 1,000 career points mark this season, junior Nikki Teasley recently recorded her 500th career assist and her 200th career steal.
Junior LaQuanda Barksdale grabbed her 500th career rebound this season and now has a career total of 637.
Breakout Year for Barksdale
After a solid sophomore year in which she led the team in rebounding, junior forward LaQuanda Barksdale emerged this season as one of the ACC's top players and earned a spot on the All-ACC and All-ACC Tournament first teams.
Throughout the season, she led the conference in scoring, in rebounding or in both categories. She currently is averaging 18.0 points and 8.7 boards, both ACC bests.
Barksdale earned ACC Player of the Week honors on Dec. 13 after averaging 30 points and 18.5 rebounds in that week's two games. She set a career high with 31 points against Georgia Southern on Dec. 7, then came back with 29 against Radford on Dec. 11.
With Higgins, then the ACC's leading rebounder, on the bench with back pain, Barksdale picked up the slack with 18 boards against Georgia Southern and 19 (tying her career high) against Radford.
Barksdale has 20 career double-doubles, 10 this season. She has scored 20 or more points on 19 occasions (including a total of 14 times this season) and has scored in double figures in 28 of this year's 32 games.
Evened Up in the ACC
The Tar Heels won their last four games of the regular season to finish 8-8 in the conference, avoiding what would have been their first losing record in the ACC since 1991.
The last time UNC wrapped up the conference season below .500 was in 1990-91, when the Tar Heels were 2-12 in the conference. In 1995-96, they were 8-8.
Just four times in Coach Sylvia Hatchell's 14 seasons and five times in the history of the program has Carolina finished with a losing record in ACC play.
Coming from Behind
Until the Maryland game on Jan. 30, UNC hadn't won once all season after trailing with five minutes to play. However, the Tar Heels earned four of their last six regular-season wins after coming from behind.
Against the Terrapins, UNC was behind 45-43 at the five-minute mark before Juana Brown hit a three to put Carolina up 46-45 with 4:41 to play. The Tar Heels held onto the lead after that and went on to win 54-49.
Against Virginia on Feb. 7, UNC trailed by eight, 55-47, with five minutes to play. Nikki Teasley scored the team's final 10 points of the half, including two free throws with 25 seconds on the clock to tie the game at 57-57 and send it into overtime. Carolina went on to win, 66-63.
Against Wake Forest on Feb. 17, UNC trailed by one with five minutes on the clock. The Tar Heels outscored the Deacons 15-6 in the final 3:11 to claim the win.
At Florida State on Feb. 22, UNC trailed 65-61 with five minutes to play. The Seminoles went up by six before UNC started to chip away at the lead with a three-pointer by Juana Brown that brought the Tar Heels back within three with 4:49 to play. Nikki Teasley scored nine consecutive UNC points in the final 1:52 and her two free throws with 43 seconds to play put the Tar Heels up for good.
The thrills didn't end when the regular season did. In both of Carolina's ACC Tournament wins, the Tar Heels trailed or were tied in the final 90 seconds of play.
Against Clemson in the quarterfinals on March 4, the score was tied with 20 seconds to play before Jackie Higgins tipped-in a miss with 1.2 seconds remaining for the win. Against Virginia in the semifinals on March 5, the game was tied with 1:28 to play before LaQuanda Barksdale scored the game's final four points to give UNC the win.
In the ACC championship game, which UNC lost 79-76 to Duke, Carolina led 72-71 after a Nikki Teasley three-pointer with 1:53 to play.
Against Maine, UNC took its first lead with 9:26 left ion the game and the score was tied with 5:21 to play before Carolina pulled away for the win.
500th Victory for Carolina Women's Basketball
Against Georgia Tech on Feb. 13, the Tar Heels earned the 500th victory in the history of the varsity program. Women's basketball became a varsity sport at UNC for the 1974-75 school year and the Tar Heels played their first game on Jan. 13, 1975, winning 74-47 against NC State in Raleigh.
Now in its 26th year as a varsity program, Carolina sports an all-time record of 507-275, a winning percentage of .648.
Chasing the Assists Record
Heading into the 1999-2000 season, junior Nikki Teasley needed 169 assists to capture the UNC career record. She is now 13 pin-point passes from making that mark her own.
With last season's total of 211, she already holds UNC's single-season record. Teasley also broke the school's single-game record in 1999, with 15 assists against Georgia Tech on Jan. 24.
Her current total of 533 ties her for eighth place in the ACC (with Duke's Hilary Howard) in career assists.
UNC's Career Assist Totals
| 1. Pam Leake (124 games, 1983-86) | 545 |
| 2. Nikki Teasley (91 games, 1998-present) | 533 |
| 3. Pam Hammond (122 games, 1982-85) | 513 |
| 4. Emily Johnson (112 games, 1989-92) | 511 |
| 5. Marion Jones (102 games, 1994-97) | 511 |
...And Moving Up in Steals
With three steals in the ACC title game, Nikki Teasley moved into 10th place on UNC's career chart, surpassing Charlotte Smith's total of 199, from 1992-95. Teasley now has a total of 207 and is averaging 2.2 per game this season.
Carolina's all-time steals leader is Pam Leake, who had 401 from 1983-86.
Raining 3's
UNC led the ACC in three-pointers per game throughout the year and finished the regular season averaging 6.0 per outing. Junior guards Nikki Teasley and Leah Sharp are the team's top threats and both rank among the conference leaders in percentage and makes per game. Sharp is shooting 36.2 from three-point range, while Teasley averages 33.3. Teasley averages 2.0 threes per game (bolstered by the seven she made in the ACC Championship) and Sharp hits 1.5.
As a team, UNC is now shooting 32.0 percent from three-point range.
In the ACC Tournament championship game against Duke, Teasley hit seven of her 11 three-point attempts to tie the UNC single-game record. She shares it with Stephanie Lawrence, who played from 1992-95 and hit seven threes against Robert Morris on Dec. 4, 1992.
Higgins Tough on the Boards
Over a three-game span against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Florida State in January, junior center Jackie Higgins averaged an impressive 13.3 rebounds. She had a career-high 17 at Georgia Tech on Jan. 13 then grabbed another 14 at Wake Forest on Jan. 16 and led the team against Florida State on Jan. 20 with nine. Higgins also led the team in scoring against Wake with a career-high 17 points and had 16 against FSU.
Against Duke on Feb. 27, Higgins had 10 points and 10 rebounds, with all of her scoring and seven of her rebounds coming in the second half as UNC moved ahead of the Blue Devils for the win.
Against Clemson in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, she led the team with eight rebounds and her tip-in on Nikki Teasley's miss with 1.2 seconds to play won the game for UNC. Against Duke in the ACC Tournament final, she scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
For the season, she has seven double-doubles.
The 6-0 player from Durham, N.C., is averaging 8.1 rebounds and 10.1 points.
Teasley Back in Action
Junior Nikki Teasley returned to the Tar Heel lineup on Jan. 30 against Maryland, following a leave of absence from the team that dated back to Jan. 5. The Maryland game was her first appearance in a UNC uniform since Jan. 3, when Carolina hosted NC State. - It feels good to be back with everyone and playing basketball again, - Teasley said after the game, a 54-49 win for UNC.
On Sunday, Jan. 23, coach Sylvia Hatchell announced that Teasley would rejoin the team on Monday, Jan. 24. "Nikki has been working proactively to resolve some personal issues," Hatchell said at that time. "This work is on-going and her return to the team will be on a gradual basis."
Teasley watched practice that Monday and participated on Wednesday. She did not dress out for the game at Duke on Jan. 27, but returned to action three days later.
Teasley appeared in the first 12 games of the season, starting eight and averaging 14.0 points, then missed the next seven. Over the final eight games of the regular season, she averaged 15.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 3.1 turnovers in 32.6 minutes of play.
She started for the first time since her return on Feb. 22 at Florida State and has been in for the opening tip in every game since then.
The Tar Heels are 19-6 with Teasley in the lineup this season, 10-3 since her return on Jan. 30.
Check Out Hatchell @ CNN/SI.com
Throughout the season, coach Sylvia Hatchell has contributed a bi-weekly journal to the CNN/Sports Illustrated website. The latest installment, as well as an archive of Hatchell's entries, is available on the women's basketball page at www.cnnsi.com.
In Remembrance
Each Tar Heel uniform bears a black patch with the letters - MH - in memory of UNC Chancellor Michael Hooker. Hooker, a 1969 Carolina graduate and chancellor since 1995, succumbed to non-Hodgkins lymphoma on June 29th, 1999.
In his four years as chancellor, Hooker made a tremendous impact on the university. He was a staunch supporter of the Carolina athletic programs, both at home and on the road. In his memory, all 28 UNC varsity teams will wear the patches during the 1999-2000 school year.
Tar Heel Honors
Junior Nikki Teasley earned ACC Tournament MVP honors and was joined on the all-tournament team by junior LaQuanda Barksdale.
Barksdale was named to the All-ACC first team and Teasley was picked for the third team.
Teasley was named ACC Player of the Week in two out of the last three weeks of the regular season. Her first honor of the year came on Feb. 15, after she averaged 17.7 points and 6.0 assists in the previous week's three games. Against Virginia on Feb. 7, she scored 24 points, equal to her season high. Against Georgia Tech on Feb. 13, she handed out a season-high 12 assists.
Her second honor came on Feb. 28, after she averaged 18.5 points in the two games during the previous week. At Florida State on Feb. 22, she totaled 21 points, nine in the last 1:52 of play as the Tar Heels grabbed the lead and held on for the win. On Feb. 27, she led the team with 16 points and six assists in a win over No. 9 Duke.
Freshman forward Jennifer Thomas earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors twice this season. The first recognition came on Dec. 6, after she averaged 15.3 points in the previous week's three games. Thomas shot 54.2 percent (13-24) from the field and 80.0 percent (20-25) from the free throw line. She also contributed 4.7 rebounds per game in an average of 18.7 minutes on the floor.
On Dec. 20, Thomas was named ACC Rookie of the Week for the second time. She scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting in a Dec. 19 win over Michigan State, the Tar Heels' only game of that week.
Junior forward LaQuanda Barksdale was named ACC Player of the Week on Dec. 13 after averaging 30 points, 18.5 rebounds in the two games of the week.
Barksdale was named to the all-tournament team at the Wachovia Women's Invitational Tournament after averaging 19.5 points in UNC's 99-86 loss to Notre Dame and 106-80 win over Richmond. Barksdale was perfect from the free throw line in the tournament, hitting all 12 of her attempts.
UNC in the Polls
On Jan. 24, after losing six out of their past seven games, the Tar Heels fell out of the USA Today Coaches' Poll, marking the first time since the end of the 1995-96 season that they had not been ranked in either poll.
UNC fell out of the Associated Press poll the week before, on Jan. 17, after having been ranked every week since the 1996-97 preseason poll. The team had been ranked in the USA Today poll every week since Dec. 2, 1996.
The Tar Heels began the 1999-2000 season in the top 10, but fell out of the single digits after losing to Notre Dame on Dec. 4. They moved back into the top 10 at the end of 1999 and remained there through the first week of 2000.
The Tar Heels are second among those also receiving votes in both of the March 13 polls. Carolina is 49 points out of 25th place in the AP poll and seven points from 25th in the USA Today poll.
| AP | USA Today | ||
| Preseason | 9 | 8 | |
| 11/15 | 8 | 8 | |
| 11/22 | 10 | 11 | |
| 11/29 | 9 | 12 | |
| 12/6 | 11 | 14 | |
| 12/13 | 10 | 11 | |
| 12/20 | 10 | 11 | |
| 12/27 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1/3 | 9 | 9 | |
| 1/10 | 15 | 12 | |
| 1/17 | -- | 23 | |
| 1/24 | -- | -- | |
| 1/31 | -- | -- | |
| 2/7 | -- | -- | |
| 2/14 | -- | -- | |
| 2/21 | -- | -- | |
| 2/28 | -- | -- | |
| 3/6 | -- | -- | |
| 3/13 | -- | -- |
Honored Jerseys
Three former Carolina players - Sylvia Crawley, Marion Jones and Tracy Reid - had their jerseys honored in a ceremony at halftime of the Duke game on Feb. 27. Replicas of their jerseys joined five other honored jerseys and one retired jersey already hanging in the Carmichael Auditorium rafters.
The Carolina program retires jersey numbers only for national players of the year and has retired just one, Charlotte Smith's #23. Players may have their jerseys honored after meeting one of several criteria.
Crawley's #00 jersey was honored in recognition of her status as MVP of Carolina's 1994 NCAA Championship team. Crawley, who played at UNC >from 1991-94, has played professionally in the ABL and overseas since her graduation.
Jones' #20 jersey was honored in recognition of her having been named first-team All-America. Jones, who played three seasons of basketball at UNC (ˇ94, ˇ95 and ˇ97) before turing her attention to track, was MVP of the ACC Tournament in 1997 and is now considered the top women's sprinter in the world.
Reid's #00 jersey also was honored in recognition of her having been a first-team All-America selection. Reid was a two-time ACC Player of the Year and two-time All-America pick while at Carolina from 1995-98. She now plays for the WNBA's Charlotte Sting and in 1998 was the WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Other UNC women's basketball players whose jerseys have been honored are Marsha Mann, Bernadette McGlade, Tresa Brown, Pam Leake and Tonya Sampson.
Battling the Injury Bug
Freshman guard Courtney Chambers was diagnosed with mononucleosis in December and missed several weeks of practice and play. She is still battling after-effects from the sickness and is not currently traveling with the team.
She has appeared in six games this season, averaging 4.5 minutes per game.
Carolina's numbers were sparse in some December games as players battled a variety of injuries and illnesses.
Junior guard Juana Brown missed three games (Richmond, Georgia Southern, Radford) because of back spasms and junior center Jackie Higgins missed two games (Georgia Southern, Radford) with back pain.
Sophomore center Maggie Goloboy missed the Radford and Georgia Southern games with bronchitis. Freshman guard Courtney Chambers sat out the game against Radford with an illness and junior guard Leah Sharp missed that game with a pulled groin, suffered against Georgia Southern. All were back in action for the Dec. 19 game against Michigan State.
Not a Senior in the Bunch
For the first time in Sylvia Hatchell's 14 years as the UNC coach, Carolina doesn't have a single senior on the roster. This year's team is made up of seven juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen.
Preseason Play
The Tar Heels split their preseason exhibition games, losing to the Russian Junior National Team 82-77 on Nov. 3 and beating Makos CKB Cassovia (Slovakia) 71-64 on Nov. 14.
Junior forward LaQuanda Barksdale led the team in both games, with 28 points and 12 rebounds in the first and 23 points, 14 rebounds in the second. Junior Jackie Higgins, who started at center, also turned in impressive performances, with 15 points, nine rebounds against Russia and 18 points, 13 rebounds against Slovakia.
Returning Core
North Carolina returned its top three scorers and four of its top five >from the 1998-99 season. Guard Nikki Teasley led the team in scoring last season with 15.4 points per game, guard Juana Brown added 14.6 points and forward LaQuanda Barksdale scored 13.9. Departed senior Chanel Wright scored 13.7 points per game.
The Tar Heels also returned the majority of their rebounding, with four of the top five back. Barksdale led the team with 7.8 per game. After Wright's 5.3 per game, UNC got 5.2 from Brown and 5.1 from forward Jackie Higgins.
Great Expectations
At the ACC media day in October, the Tar Heels were picked as the favorite to win the 2000 conference championship. UNC was listed first on 22 ballots, compared with 14 for NC State and two for Virginia.
Carolina's Nikki Teasley was named to the Preseason All-Conference team, along with Georgia Tech's Niesha Butler, Virginia's Erin Stovall and North Carolina State's Summer Erb and Tynesha Lewis.
Next Year's Additions
The Tar Heels signed three players during the early signing period in November.
Named for the Naismith
oth Nikki Teasley and LaQuanda Barksdale were listed among the preseason candidates for the 1999-2000 Naismith Award, given to college basketball's player of the year. Teasley was listed among the top 10 candidates, while Barksdale was on the - Best of the Rest - list.
Teasley also was among the candidates for the award last season.
Barksdale Brings Home Silver
LaQuanda Barksdale spent part of her summer competing as a part of the USA Basketball World University Games team, which won a silver medal in Spain in July. Barksdale started all six games of the competition and averaged 11.8 points (second on the team) and 4.5 rebounds.
Team Captains
Juniors LaQuanda Barksdale and Jasmyn Huntington were selected to serve as team captains for the 1999-2000 season.
Looking Back at 1999
The Tar Heels finished the season 28-8, reaching the Sweet 16 before falling 82-59 to Purdue. For the second year in a row, UNC was ousted from the NCAA Tournament by the eventual champion. (Carolina was knocked out in the regional final by Tennessee in 1998.)
UNC spent the entire season ranked in the AP poll, with a high spot of fifth and a low of 14th at the season's end.
The Tar Heels finished tied for third in the ACC during the regular season.
