33-3 (14-0 acc, 18-0 home, 8-2 away, 7-1 neutral) 2007 … 86 • 2008-09 unc women’s basketball...

• 2008-09 UNC Women’s Basketball Media Guide

2007

-08 R

esul

ts 33-3 (14-0 ACC, 18-0 Home, 8-2 Away, 7-1 Neutral)Date Opponent Result Score Site Att. Record Leading Scorer Leading Rebounder

11/9 North Carolina Central W 109-32 H - Chapel Hill 3051 1-0 17 - Rashanda McCants 11 - Jessica Breland

11/11 Arizona State W 75-60 H - Chapel Hill# 7159 2-0 20 - Erlana Larkins 12 - Jessica Breland

11/13 Elon W 98-53 H - Chapel Hill 3427 3-0 16 - Rashanda McCants 11 - Jessica Breland

11/16 Coppin State W 92-63 H - Chapel Hill 4041 4-0 19 - Jessica Breland 10 - Erlana Larkins

11/18 Syracuse W 97-72 H - Chapel Hill 4256 5-0 27 - Rashanda McCants 14 - Rashanda McCants

11/19 Georgia State W 99-64 H - Chapel Hill 2877 6-0 18 - Rashanda McCants 10 - Erlana Larkins

11/25 Furman W 77-36 H - Chapel Hill 5086 7-0 16 - Cetera DeGraffenreid 13 - Erlana Larkins

11/27 College of Charleston W 102-58 H - Chapel Hill 3036 8-0 19 - Cetera DeGraffenreid 13 - Iman McFarland

11/29 Purdue W 90-72 H - Chapel Hill 5907 9-0 28 - Rashanda McCants 7 - LaToya Pringle

12/2 at Tennessee L 79-83 A - Knoxville, Tenn. 16845 9-1 22 - Erlana Larkins 15 - Erlana Larkins

12/9 Wofford W 102-42 H - Chapel Hill 4572 10-1 17 - Cetera DeGraffenreid 13 - Jessica Breland

12/17 at Coastal Carolina W 82-58 A - Conway, S.C. 1021 11-1 20 - LaToya Pringle 12 - LaToya Pringle

12/20 vs. Western Kentucky W 93-60 N - Myrtle Beach, S.C. - 12-1 19 - Rashanda McCants 8 - Erlana Larkins

12/30 Liberty W 88-67 H - Chapel Hill 6127 13-1 25 - LaToya Pringle 10 - LaToya Pringle

1/5 Georgia Tech* W 99-78 H - Chapel Hill 7187 14-1 19 - Rashanda McCants 10 - Erlana Larkins

1/10 at Virginia Tech* W 79-59 A - Blacksburg, Va. 2832 15-1 22 - Erlana Larkins 10 - LaToya Pringle

10 - Erlana Larkins

1/13 at NC State* W 79-70 A - Raleigh, N.C. 7091 16-1 22 - Erlana Larkins 8 - Erlana Larkins

1/17 Boston College* W 87-59 H - Chapel Hill 3194 17-1 20 - Cetera DeGraffenreid 9 - Jessica Breland

1/21 at Connecticut L 71-82 A - Storrs, Conn. 10167 17-2 20 - LaToya Pringle 11 - Erlana Larkins

1/26 Maryland* W (2OT) 97-86 H - Chapel Hill 7914 18-2 31 - LaToya Pringle 18 - Erlana Larkins

1/31 at Wake Forest* W 76-55 A - Winston-Salem, N.C. 2488 19-2 23 - LaToya Pringle 7 - Heather Claytor

2/4 at Duke* W 93-76 A - Durham, N.C. 9314 20-2 18 - Cetera DeGraffenreid 11 - LaToya Pringle

18 - LaToya Pringle

2/7 Clemson* W 79-47 H - Chapel Hill 3763 21-2 20 - Cetera DeGraffenreid 12 - Erlana Larkins

2/10 at Georgia Tech* W 75-61 A - Atlanta, Ga. 3257 22-2 19 - Rashanda McCants 14 - Erlana Larkins

2/15 at Virginia* W 90-82 A - Charlottesville, Va. 5559 23-2 28 - LaToya Pringle 18 - Erlana Larkins

2/17 Florida State* W 97-77 H - Chapel Hill 6884 24-2 18 - Rashanda McCants 8 - Erlana Larkins

18 - Erlana Larkins

2/21 at Miami* W 79-61 A - Coral Gables, Fla. 1128 25-2 18 - Erlana Larkins 11 - Jessica Breland

2/25 NC State* W 85-79 H - Chapel Hill 6074 26-2 18 - Erlana Larkins 8 - Rashanda McCants

8 - LaToya Pringle

3/2 Duke* W 82-51 H - Chapel Hill 8010 27-2 14 - LaToya Pringle 10 - Erlana Larkins

14 - Erlana Larkins

14 - Cetera DeGraffenreid

3/7 vs. Clemson W 97-77 N - Greensboro, N.C. 7201 28-2 25 - Erlana Larkins 10 - Erlana Larkins

3/8 vs. Virginia W 80-65 N - Greensboro, N.C. - 29-2 23 - Rashanda McCants 15 - Erlana Larkins

3/9 vs. Duke W 86-73 N - Greensboro, N.C. 11132 30-2 17 - Erlana Larkins 9 - Rashanda McCants

17 - Cetera DeGraffenreid

3/23 vs. Bucknell W 85-50 N - Norfolk, Va. - 31-2 19 - LaToya Pringle 9 - Jessica Breland

3/25 vs. Georgia W 80-66 N - Norfolk, Va. 5989 32-2 23 - Rashanda McCants 10 - Erlana Larkins

3/29 vs. Louisville W 78-74 N - New Orleans, La. - 33-2 27 - LaToya Pringle 12 - Erlana Larkins

3/31 vs. LSU L 50-56 N - New Orleans, La. 5067 33-3 21 - LaToya Pringle 11 - LaToya Pringle

11 - Erlana Larkins

* - Atlantic Coast Conference game# - Game played at the Dean E. Smith CenterAll other home games played at Carmichael Auditorium


2007-08 Statistics – All FG – – 3 Pt FG – – FT – – Rebounds –Player GP-GS M-A Pct M-A Pct M-A Pct Off Def Tot Avg A TO B S PF-D Min-Avg Pts AvgRashanda McCants 36-35 226-506 .447 29-103 .282 88-140 .629 88 149 237 6.6 118 108 22 80 90-2 1007-28.0 569 15.8ACC 14-14 88-200 .440 9-38 .237 34-59 .576 27 64 91 6.5 47 45 6 24 35-0 404-28.9 219 15.6

LaToya Pringle 35-35 174-298 .584 1-1 1.000 161-215 .749 102 159 252 7.2 29 60 95 50 84-3 868-24.8 510 14.6ACC 13-13 64-115 .557 1-1 1.000 64-82 .780 37 59 96 7.4 10 26 38 13 33-0 349-26.8 193 14.8

Erlana Larkins 35-35 174-330 .527 0-0 .000 125-208 .601 155 176 331 9.5 108 118 21 66 74-1 1020-29.1 473 13.5ACC 14-14 84-145 .579 0-0 .000 50-81 .617 64 76 140 10.0 46 45 9 25 30-0 427-30.5 218 15.6

Cetera DeGraffenreid 36-30 132-310 .426 25-93 .269 127-171 .743 18 70 88 2.4 111 93 3 76 71-1 1110-30.8 416 11.6ACC 14-14 57-128 .445 11-39 .282 39-58 .672 3 31 34 2.4 43 41 0 26 28-0 478-34.1 164 11.7

Jessica Breland 36-3 156-294 .531 2-13 .154 66-94 .702 98 159 257 7.1 42 75 74 41 76-1 750-20.8 380 10.6ACC 14-1 64-121 .529 2-6 .333 33-45 .733 29 65 94 6.7 19 40 36 18 38-1 315-22.5 163 11.6

Alex Miller 4-4 11-24 .458 0-7 .000 3-4 .750 0 5 5 1.3 15 6 1 6 4-0 76-19.0 25 6.3ACC 0-0 0-0 - 0-0 - 0-0 - 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0-0 - 0 -

Rebecca Gray 30-0 49-111 .441 27-69 .391 31-38 .816 12 33 45 1.5 44 38 4 29 17-0 458-15.3 156 5.2ACC 11-0 17-32 .531 9-19 .474 9-13 .692 4 10 14 1.3 18 10 0 12 5-0 157-14.3 52 4.7

Italee Lucas 36-2 71-194 .366 21-77 .273 15-25 .600 15 45 60 1.7 97 121 0 43 38-0 618-17.2 178 4.9ACC 14-0 30-67 .448 9-25 .360 7-11 .636 8 16 24 1.7 31 44 0 10 15-0 225-16.1 76 5.4

Heather Claytor 36-35 58-158 .367 39-125 .312 21-28 .750 10 65 75 2.1 52 46 2 40 46-1 669-18.6 176 4.9ACC 14-13 20-55 .364 12-42 .286 4-8 .500 3 33 36 2.6 22 19 0 11 21-1 308-22.0 56 4.0

Iman McFarland 29-0 48-89 .539 0-0 .000 26-36 .722 40 50 90 3.1 9 13 17 18 22-0 333-11.5 122 4.2ACC 8-0 8-17 .471 0-0 .000 7-11 .636 9 4 13 1.6 4 4 3 6 6-0 86-10.8 23 2.9

Trinity Bursey 24-0 17-40 .425 1-3 .333 11-16 .688 13 26 39 1.6 2 9 3 2 12-0 133-5.5 46 1.9ACC 8-0 7-13 .538 0-1 .000 1-3 .333 6 8 14 1.8 0 2 1 0 5-0 37-4.6 15 1.9

Martina Wood 19-0 10-34 .294 0-2 .000 14-19 .737 10 16 26 1.4 5 12 3 5 14-0 99-5.2 34 1.8ACC 8-0 3-13 .231 0-2 .000 5-6 .833 5 5 10 1.3 0 7 0 1 5-0 30-3.8 11 1.4

Laura Barry 19-0 5-20 .250 1-7 .143 3-4 .750 8 9 17 0.9 5 8 1 4 7-0 73-3.8 14 0.7ACC 7-0 1-3 .333 0-0 .000 2-2 1.000 1 1 2 0.3 1 2 0 2 2-0 22-3.1 4 0.6

Meghan Austin 12-1 2-5 .400 0-3 .000 4-7 .571 1 2 3 0.3 2 5 0 0 2-0 36-3.0 8 0.7ACC 6-1 0-1 .000 0-1 .000 3-4 .750 0 1 1 0.2 0 2 0 0 2-0 12-2.0 3 0.5

– All FG – – 3 Pt FG – – FT – – Rebounds –Totals GP FGM-A Pct 3FG M-A Pct FT M-A Pct Off Def Tot Avg A TO B S PF-D Min. Pts AvgNorth Carolina 36 1133-2413 .470 146-503 .290 695-1005 .692 651 1040 1691 47.0 639 717 246 460 557-9 7250 3107 86.3ACC 14 443-910 .487 53-174 .305 258-383 .674 231 405 636 45.4 241 289 93 148 225-2 2850 1197 85.5

Opponents 36 867-2405 .360 166-635 .261 404-614 .658 606 772 1378 38.3 509 843 126 393 762-n/a 7250 2304 64.0ACC 14 353-958 .368 56-236 .237 179-260 .688 241 285 526 37.6 194 301 50 156 301-8 2850 941 67.2


2007

-08 S

easo

n Rev

iew

BRIEFLY...• The Tar Heels finished with 33 wins, becoming just the fifth program in NCAA history to win at least 30 games in four or more consecutive seasons. Carolina also earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season.• Carolina won its fourth straight Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Championship, defeating Duke, 86-73. Seniors Erlana Larkins, who was named Tournament MVP, and LaToya Pringle ended their careers with a perfect 12-0 record in ACC Tournament play.• The Tar Heels finished No. 2 in the AP poll and No. 5 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll, marking the fourth straight year in which UNC finished in the top 10 in both major polls.• Erlana Larkins and LaToya Pringle were both named first-team All-ACC, while Larkins was a consensus first-team All-America performer. Pringle, who earned honorable mention AP All-America honors, was also the ACC Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league in blocked shots throughout the season.• Carolina finished a perfect 14-0 in ACC play for the first time in school his-tory. It was the eighth perfect regular season in league history.

NOTING THE ACC TOURNAMENT TITLE• The 2008 ACC title was the ninth in school history for UNC, moving the Tar Heels past Maryland for most all-time.• Erlana Larkins was named ACC Tournament MVP after averaging 18.7 points and 11.0 rebounds in wins over Clemson, Virginia and Duke.• Larkins, LaToya Pringle and Rashanda McCants were named to the All-Tournament first team, while Cetera DeGraffenreid earned second-team honors.• The 86-73 win over Duke in the final completed a perfect league season for Carolina, as the Tar Heels went 14-0 in the regular season for the first time in schol history.

LARKINS, PRINGLE, McCANTS EARN ALL-ACC HONORSNorth Carolina’s Erlana Larkins, LaToya Pringle and Rashanda McCants were named All-Atlantic Coast Conference, the league office announced March 3. Larkins and Pringle were named to the first team, while McCants was a second-team selection.

Larkins and fellow first-teamer Crystal Langhorne of Maryland become the ninth and 10th players in ACC history to earn first-team honors three times. Former Tar Heel standouts Ivory Latta, Tracy Reid and Tonya Sampson were also three-time first-team selections. Larkins, who led the team in re-bounding with 9.5 boards per game, was a first-team pick in 2006 and 2007, as well as a second-team selection in 2005.

Pringle, who emerged as a star in her final season in Chapel Hill, was an All-ACC selection for the first time in her career. The Fayetteville, N.C., senior was second on the team in scoring (14.6 ppg) and second in rebounding (7.2 rpg). She also led the ACC in blocked shots with 95, including six in the season finale 82-51 victory over No. 12 Duke.

McCants was also a newcomer to the All-ACC list, as the junior from Asheville, N.C., led the Tar Heels in scoring with 15.8 points per game. Mc-Cants, who had a breakout season, scored in double figures in all but three games and set career highs in every major category.

HATCHELL NAMED ACC COACH OF THE YEARNorth Carolina head coach Sylvia Hatchell was named 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year, the Associated Press announced March 5. Hatchell led the Tar Heels to a perfect 14-0 ACC record in 2008, the first undefeated run through league play in school history. Carolina was picked second in the preseason poll after losing seniors Ivory Latta and Camille Little. The award is the third of Hatchell’s 22-year run at UNC. She was also named ACC COY in 1997 and 2006.

PRINGLE NAMED ACC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEARNorth Carolina senior LaToya Pringle was named the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced March 4. Pringle joins former Tar Heel Nikita Bell, who won the league’s top defen-sive award in 2005. Pringle led the ACC with 78 blocks during the regular season, one year after setting the Carolina single-season record for blocked shots.

DeGRAFFENREID A UNANIMOUS ALL-FRESHMANNorth Carolina guard Cetera DeGraffenreid was one of two unanimous se-lections to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman team, the Associ-ated Press announced March 4. The all-freshman team, which was chosen by the 49 voting members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association, consists of DeGraffenreid, Boston College’s Stefanie Murphy and Carolyn Swords, Georgia Tech forward Alex Montgomery and Virginia Tech guard Andrea Barbour. Murphy was chosen as Rookie of the Year.

BRELAND NAMED ACC SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEARNorth Carolina sophomore Jessica Breland earned the Atlantic Coast Con-ference’s first-ever Sixth Player of the Year honor, league commissioner John Swofford announced March 4. The award is selected by a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches. Breland averaged 10.8 points and 7.4 re-bounds during the regular season, by far the most among non-starters in the league.


2007-08 Season ReviewMcCANTS ECLIPSES 1,000 CAREER POINTSJunior guard/forward Rashanda McCants reached a significant career mile-stone March 2, as the Asheville, N.C., product became the 29th player in UNC history to reach 1,000 points. McCants, who averaged a team-best 15.8 points per game in her best season in Chapel Hill, scored 569 of her 1,121 career points in 2007-08.

PRINGLE SETS NEW SCHOOL BLOCKS RECORDSenior forward LaToya Pringle was already UNC’s single-season leader in blocked shots after tallying 121 in 2006-07. Pringle now owns the career mark as well. After collecting one block against LSU on March 31, Pringle finished her career with 336 blocks in 138 career games, seven more than former leader Dawn Royster’s 329 from 1983-87, good for second in ACC history.

TAR HEELS PROTECTIVE OF THE BALL AGAINST NC STATEUNC’s two lowest turnover totals of 2007-08 came against NC State. After giving the ball up just 12 times in the meeting in Raleigh, the Tar Heels had just eight turnovers in the win on Feb. 25. The eight turnovers are the fewest by a Carolina team in five years, dating back to a Nov. 29, 2003 win over UMBC during with the Tar Heels also finished with eight miscues.

HATCHELL WINS NUMBER 500 AT UNCNorth Carolina head coach Sylvia Hatchell, the third-winningest active coach in Division I, reached a milestone on Feb. 7. Carolina’s 79-47 win over Clemson gave the 22nd-year mentor her 500th win as the head coach of the Tar Heels. With a record of 512-195 in Chapel Hill, Hatchell joined Virginia’s Debbie Ryan and NC State’s Kay Yow as the only coaches to reach 500 wins at an ACC school. Hatchell, who also had 272 wins at Francis Marion, is now 784-275 overall in 33 seasons.

LARKINS REACHES REBOUND MILESTONESenior forward Erlana Larkins grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds against No. 4 Maryland on Jan. 26, becoming the seventh player in school his-tory and the 16th player in ACC history to reach 1,000 career rebounds. Bernadette McGlade is the current school record holder with 1,251 career rebounds.

PRINGLE JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUBSenior forward/center LaToya Pringle scored 18 points in the win at No. 11 Duke on Feb. 4, giving her 1,009 career points. The Fayetteville, N.C., senior became the 28th player in school history to reach 1,000 points as a Tar Heel.

TAR HEELS DOMINATE OFFENSIVE BOARDSIn addition to being one of the top teams in the country in rebound margin, Carolina was also one of the nation’s best in attacking the offensive glass. The Tar Heels pulled down 18.08 offensive boards per game. Senior for-ward Erlana Larkins (4.43/game) led the league in the category for the sec-ond straight season, and teammates LaToya Pringle, Jessica Breland and Rashanda McCants joined her among the top 15 in the conference.

LARKINS PLAYS WITH HAND INJURYSenior forward Erlana Larkins sustained an injury to her left hand in the second half of UNC’s win over Liberty on Dec. 30. X-rays conducted after the game showed that Larkins suffered an oblique fracture of the third meta-carpal in her left hand. However, Larkins played just six days later, register-ing her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Georgia Tech.

RECENT HEELS AT THEIR BEST AGAINST THE TOP 25The victory over No. 19 Louisville on March 29 continued a recent trend of strong play by the Tar Heels against top-25 opponents. Since the beginning of the 2004-05 season, the Tar Heels are 31-9 against the AP Top 25.

TAR HEELS TOUGH TO BEAT AT HOMEThe season finale win over Duke improved Carolina’s overall home record since the beginning of the 2004-05 season to 66-2. The Tar Heels have won 20 straight at Carmichael, including their last nine home conference games. With the win over Liberty on Dec. 30, the Tar Heels have now won 67 consecutive non-conference home games. Carolina’s last home setback against a non-conference opponent was a 94-77 loss to Oklahoma on Jan. 21, 2001.

2007-08 Honors and RecognitionErlana Larkins• State Farm All-America• USBWA All-America• AP All-America (2nd team)• New Orleans Regional All-Tournament• Wade Trophy Finalist• State Farm All-America Finalist (Top 40)• Wooden Award National Ballot (Top 17)• ESPN.com All-America (2nd team)• WBCA National Player of the Month - February• ACC Tournament MVP• First-team All-ACC• ACC Player of the Week - Feb. 18• ACC Player of the Week - Jan. 14• Naismith Award Midseason Candidate (Top 30)• Wooden Award Midseason Top 20• Preseason All-ACC• Preseason ESPN.com All-America (2nd team)• Preseason Wade Watch List• Preseason Wooden Award Candidate• Preseason Naismith Award Watch List

LaToya Pringle• AP All-America Honorable Mention• State Farm All-America Honorable Mention• New Orleans Regional All-Tournament• State Farm All-America Finalist (Top 40)• ACC All-Tournament Team• ACC Defensive Player of the Year• ACC All-Defensive Team• First-team All-ACC• ACC Player of the Week - Jan. 28

Rashanda McCants• Second-team All-ACC• ACC All-Tournament Team

Cetera DeGraffenreid• Gballmag.com Young All-America• ACC All-Tournament Team (2nd team)• ACC All-Freshman Team (Unanimous Selection)• ACC Rookie of the Week - March 3• ACC Rookie of the Week - Feb. 18• ACC Rookie of the Week - Feb. 11

Jessica Breland• ACC Sixth Player of the Year

Sylvia Hatchell• Basketball Times National Coach of the Year• ACC Coach of the Year• WBCA Regional Coach of the Year


2007

-08 S

easo

n Rev

iew PRINGLE, LARKINS BACK AND FORTH ATOP SHOOTING CHART

Senior forwards Erlana Larkins and LaToya Pringle went back and forth at the top of the UNC career field goal percentage chart in 2007-08. After get-ting enough makes to qualify, Pringle shot to the top of the list for several games. Larkins regained the lead for several games, but Pringle’s 11-for-16 effort against Maryland put the Fayetteville, N.C., senior back in front. After trailing for more than a month, Larkins’ MVP performance in the ACC Tour-nament had her back in the lead. But the four NCAA Tournament games put Pringle in first to end the season. • Pringle (418-722) - .579 • Larkins (717-1265) - .567

CLAYTOR MOVES ONTO CAREER THREES LISTNorth Carolina junior guard Heather Claytor moved into the top 10 in career three-pointers in 2007-08. With one make in the win over Louisville on March 29, Claytor has 128 career makes in 105 games, good for ninth in school history. Ivory Latta holds the school record with 345 threes in 138 career games.

TAR HEELS LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARDCarolina scored 97 points in the win over Clemson on March 7, making it 15 of 36 games in 2007-08 in which the Tar Heels reached the 90-point mark. UNC scored at least 90 points in 16 contests in 2006-07.

McCANTS SCORING IN BUNCHESJunior guard Rashanda McCants established her career high as a freshman with 16 points in a win over Arizona State. She then matched that total an amazing five times during her sophomore season. But one game into her junior campaign, the Asheville, N.C., native was finally able to increase that mark with a career-best 17 points in the win over North Carolina Central on Nov. 9. That total would not last 48 hours, however, as McCants scored 18 in the win over Arizona State on Nov. 11. McCants shattered that mark on Nov. 18, scoring 27 points, including 20 in the first half, in the win over Syracuse. With 28 points against Purdue on Nov. 29, McCants established a new career high four times in 2007-08, and scored in double figures in 33 of 36 contests.

HISTORIC WIN IN SEASON OPENERCarolina’s 109-32 win over North Carolina Central in the regular-season opener on Nov. 9 established a new school record for margin of victory. The 77-point victory topped a 71-point win (106-35) over South Carolina State on Dec. 30, 1997.

LARKINS MOVES UP CAREER CHARTSSenior forward Erlana Larkins’ name is littered throughout the Carolina ca-reer lists in a number of statistical categories. • 2nd in field-goal percentage (.567) • 3rd in total rebounds (1,173) • 5th in steals (294) • 6th in rebounding average (8.32) • 7th in total points (1,927) • 7th in blocked shots (113)

WOMEN’S HOOPS STRONG IN THE CLASSROOMThe UNC women’s basketball team has received the NCAA’s Public Recog-nition Award for having an Academic Progress Rate in the Top 10 percent nationally for the sport. In addition to the Tar Heel women’s basketball team, the UNC baseball, men’s basketball, women’s golf, volleyball and fencing teams were also recognized.

LARKINS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-ACCSenior forward Erlana Larkins was named to the five-player preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference team. Larkins was joined on the list by Maryland’s Marissa Coleman, Duke’s Abby Waner, NC State’s Khadijah Whittington and preseason player of the year choice Crystal Langhorne of Maryland. Larkins was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2007.

TAR HEELS PICKED SECOND IN PRESEASON POLLComing off its third consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference title and second straight trip to the Final Four, North Carolina was picked to finish second in the ACC by the league’s coaches, SIDs and media. The Tar Heels received 10 first-place votes to finish second behind preseason favorite Maryland, who gathered the other 27 first-place votes.

CAROLINA IN PRESEASON TOP 10 ONCE AGAINNorth Carolina was ranked in the top 10 in both major polls to open the sea-son for the fourth consecutive year. The Tar Heels were ranked No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll, while the Associated Press had Carolina at No. 8. UNC was No. 2 in both polls to open 2006-07, its highest-ever preseason rankings.

Games as leading scorer (or tied for lead) Season/CareerErlana Larkins................................................................................10/39LaToya Pringle ..............................................................................11/16 Rashanda McCants .......................................................................11/14Cetera DeGraffenreid ........................................................................8/8Jessica Breland .................................................................................1/3Heather Claytor .................................................................................0/2Alex Miller ..........................................................................................0/1

Games as leading rebounder (or tied for lead) Season/CareerErlana Larkins................................................................................20/72LaToya Pringle ................................................................................7/22Jessica Breland ...............................................................................7/10Rashanda McCants ...........................................................................3/5Iman McFarland.................................................................................1/2Heather Claytor .................................................................................1/1

Games as leader in assists (or tied for lead) Season/CareerErlana Larkins..................................................................................9/28Rashanda McCants .......................................................................13/16Italee Lucas ...................................................................................12/12Alex Miller ..........................................................................................2/9Cetera DeGraffenreid ........................................................................8/8Heather Claytor .................................................................................2/4Jessica Breland .................................................................................1/1Rebecca Gray....................................................................................1/1LaToya Pringle ..................................................................................1/1

Double-doubles Season/CareerErlana Larkins................................................................................12/38LaToya Pringle ................................................................................8/15Jessica Breland .................................................................................4/6Rashanda McCants ...........................................................................3/3Iman McFarland.................................................................................1/1

Double-figure scoring games Season/CareerErlana Larkins..............................................................................25/104Rashanda McCants .......................................................................33/59LaToya Pringle ..............................................................................29/59Jessica Breland .............................................................................20/31Cetera DeGraffenreid ....................................................................20/20Heather Claytor ...............................................................................5/12Alex Miller ..........................................................................................1/9Rebecca Gray....................................................................................6/6Iman McFarland.................................................................................3/3Italee Lucas .......................................................................................3/3

Double-figure rebounding games Season/CareerErlana Larkins................................................................................18/52LaToya Pringle ................................................................................9/20Jessica Breland .................................................................................7/9Rashanda McCants ...........................................................................3/3Iman McFarland.................................................................................1/1

Miscellaneous Individual Stats


2007-08 Season Review

Tar Heels in the ACC Stats Individual Scoring: 9. Rashanda McCants (15.8), 13. LaToya Pringle (14.6), 19. Erlana Larkins (13.5), 22. Cetera DeGraffenreid (11.6), 26. Jessica Breland (10.6) Rebounding: 2. Erlana Larkins (9.5), 11. LaToya Pringle (7.2), 12. Jessica Breland (7.1), 16. Rashanda McCants (6.6) Field Goal %: 12. Rashanda McCants (.447) Assists: 12. Rashanda McCants (3.28), 14. Erlana Lar-kins (3.09), 15. Cetera DeGraffenreid (3.08) Free Throw %: 10. Cetera DeGraffenreid (.743) Steals: 8. Rashanda McCants (2.22), 9. Cetera DeGraffen-reid (2.11), 13. Erlana Larkins (1.89) Blocks: 1. LaToya Pringle (2.71), 4. Jessica Breland (2.06) Assist/Turnover Ratio: 9. Cetera DeGraffenreid (1.19), 12. Rashanda McCants (1.09), 14. Erlana Larkins (0.92) Offensive Rebounds: 1. Erlana Larkins (4.43), 6. LaToya Pringle (2.91), 9. Jessica Breland (2.72), 15. Rashanda Mc-Cants (2.44) Defensive Rebounds: 7. Erlana Larkins (5.03), 12. Jessica Breland (4.42), 14. LaToya Pringle (4.29) Minutes Played: 13. Cetera DeGraffenreid (30.83), 24. Er-lana Larkins (29.14), 30. Rashad McCants (27.97)

Team Scoring: 1st, 86.3 Scoring Defense: 8th, 64.0 Scoring Margin: 1st, +22.3 Free Throw %: 4th, .692 Field Goal %: 2nd, .470 Field Goal % Defense: 1st, .360 Three-point %: 10th, .290 Three-point % Defense: 1st, .261 Rebounding: 1st, 47.0 Rebounding Defense: 9th, 38.3 Rebounding Margin: 2nd, +8.7 Blocks: 1st, 6.83 Assists: 1st, 17.75 Steals: 2nd, 12.78 Turnover Margin: 2nd, +3.50 Assist/Turnover Ratio: 2nd, 0.89 Offensive Rebounds: 1st, 18.09 Defensive Rebounds: 2nd, 28.89 Three-pointers: 8th, 4.06

Tar Heels in the NCAA Stats Individual Rebounding: 29. Erlana Larkins (9.5) Blocks: 13. LaToya Pringle (2.7), 37. Jessica Breland (2.1)

Team Scoring: 1st, 86.3 Scoring Margin: 2nd, +22.3 Field Goal %: 4th, .470 Field Goal % Defense: 18th, .360 Rebound Margin: 6th, +8.7 Won-Lost %: 3rd, .917 Assists: 4th, 17.8 Blocks: 1st, 6.8 Steals: 5th, 12.8 Assist-Turnover Ratio: 58th, 0.89

Carolina’s record when ...Home .......................................................................................... 18-0

Away ............................................................................................. 8-2

Neutral .......................................................................................... 7-1

Leading at the half ...................................................................... 30-1

Trailing at the half ......................................................................... 2-2

Tied at the half .............................................................................. 1-0

Overtime ....................................................................................... 1-0

Shooting 50 percent or better from the floor ............................... 13-0

Shooting 40-49.9 percent from the floor ..................................... 18-1

Shooting worse than 40 percent from the floor............................. 2-2

Opponent shoots 50 percent or better from the floor.................... 0-0

Opponent shoots 40-49.9 percent from the floor ........................ 11-1

Opponent shoots worse than 40 percent from the floor ............. 22-2

UNC has more rebounds ............................................................ 30-2

Opponent has more rebounds ...................................................... 3-1

UNC has more offensive rebounds ............................................ 19-2

Opponent has more offensive rebounds .................................... 14-1

Offensive rebounds are even ....................................................... 0-0

UNC commits more turnovers ...................................................... 9-3

Opponent commits more turnovers ............................................ 22-0

Turnovers are even ...................................................................... 2-0

Scoring 80 or more points .......................................................... 24-0

Scoring less than 80 points .......................................................... 9-3

Opponent scores 80 or more points ............................................. 2-2

Opponent scores less than 80 points ......................................... 31-1


2007

-08 S

easo

n Rev

iew

UNC Team HighsPoints: 109 (NCCU, 11/9/07)Points in a half: 59 (Georgia State, 11/19/07)Field goals: 44 (NCCU, 11/9/07)Field goal attempts: 86 (Maryland, 1/26/08)Field goal percentage: .638 (44-69, NCCU, 11/9/07)Three-pointers made: 8 (Syracuse, 11/18/07)Three-point attempts: 27 (Syracuse, 11/18/07)Three-point percentage: .636 (7-11, Duke, 2/4/08)Free throws: 34 (Duke, 3/9/08)Free throw attempts: 46 (Coastal Carolina, 12/17/07)Free throw percentage: .857 (24-28, Georgia, 3/25/08)Rebounds: 61 (CofC, 11/27/07; Wofford, 12/9/07)Assists: 29 (Georgia Tech, 1/5/08)Steals: 27 (NCCU, 11/9/07)Blocks: 12 (Syracuse, 11/18/07; Furman, 11/25/07; Clemson, 2/7/08)Turnovers: 32 (Georgia Tech, 1/5/08)Fouls: 25 (Syracuse, 11/18/07)

UNC Team LowsPoints: 50 (LSU, 3/31/08)Points in a half: 21 (first half, LSU, 3/31/08)Field goals: 20 (LSU, 3/31/08)Field goal attempts: 48 (Georgia Tech, 2/10/08)Field goal percentage: .339 (20-59, LSU, 3/31/08)Three-pointers made: 0 (Wake Forest, 1/31/08)Three-point attempts: 4 (Virginia, 3/8/08)Three-point percentage: .000 (0-10, Wake Forest, 1/31/08)Free throws: 3 (Virginia Tech, 1/10/08)Free throw attempts: 8 (Virginia Tech, 1/10/08)Free throw percentage: .375 (3-8, Virginia Tech, 1/10/08)Rebounds: 37 (Georgia, 3/25/08)Assists: 6 (NC State, 1/13/08)Steals: 5 (Purdue, 11/29/07)Blocks: 1 (Liberty, 12/30/07)Turnovers: 8 (NC State, 2/25/08)Fouls: 7 (Furman, 11/25/07)

Opponent Team HighsPoints: 86 (Maryland, 1/26/08)Points in a half: 50 (Georgia Tech, 1/5/08)Field goals: 33 (Maryland, 1/26/08)Field goal attempts: 82 (Miami, 2/21/08)Field goal percentage: .466 (27-58, Coppin State, 11/16/07)Three-pointers made: 11 (Elon, 11/13/07)Three-point attempts: 35 (Miami, 2/21/08)Three-point percentage: .571 (4-7, Coppin State, 11/16/07)Free throws: 25 (Syracuse, 11/18/07)Free throw attempts: 29 (Syracuse, 11/18/07)Free throw percentage: .862 (Syracuse, 11/18/07)Rebounds: 56 (Louisville, 3/29/08)Assists: 20 (Tennessee, 12/2/07; Maryland, 1/26/08)Steals: 22 (Georgia Tech, 1/5/08)Blocks: 10 (Tennessee, 12/2/07)Turnovers: 35 (Liberty, 12/30/07)Fouls: 29 (Coastal Carolina, 12/17/07; Duke, 3/9/08)

Opponent Team LowsPoints: 32 (NCCU, 11/9/07)Points in a half: 16 (both halves, NCCU, 11/9/07; first half, Furman, 11/25/07)Field goals: 12 (NCCU, 11/9/07)Field goal attempts: 49 (Coastal Carolina, 12/17/07)Field goal percentage: .188 (12-64, NCCU, 11/9/07)Three-pointers made: 0 (Duke, 3/2/08)Three-point attempts: 7 (Coppin State, 11/16/07)Three-point percentage: .000 (0-12, Duke, 3/2/08)Free throws: 4 (Elon, 11/13/07)Free throw attempts: 7 (NCCU, 11/9/07)Free throw percentage: .308 (4-13, Elon, 11/13/07)Rebounds: 25 (Georgia Tech, 2/10/08)Assists: 6 (Furman, 11/25/07)Steals: 3 (NC State, 2/25/08)Blocks: 0 (Coppin State, 11/16/07; Purdue, 11/29/07; Western Kentucky, 12/20/07; Liberty, 12/30/07)Turnovers: 16 (Tennessee, 12/2/07)Fouls: 12 (Furman, 11/25/07)

2007-08 Team Highs and Lows

Largest lead in a win: 77 (109-32, NCCU, 11/9/07)Largest lead in a loss: 11 (44-33, Connecticut, 1/21/08)Largest deficit in a win: 18 (19-37, Louisville, 3/29/08)Largest second-half deficit in a win: 11 (37-48, Louisville, 3/29/08)Largest deficit in a loss: 13 (61-74, Tennessee, 12/2/07)Largest halftime lead in a win: 40 (56-16, NCCU, 11/9/07)Largest halftime lead in a loss: 11 (44-33, Connecticut, 1/21/08)Largest halftime deficit in a win: 9 (37--46, Louisville, 3/29/08)Largest halftime deficit in a loss: 3 (21-24, LSU, 3/31/08)Largest winning margin: 77 (109-32, NCCU, 11/9/07)Largest losing margin: 11 (71-82, Connecticut, 1/21/08)

Highest field goal percentage in a half: .719 (23-32, second half, NCCU, 11/9/07)Lowest field goal percentage in a half: .303 (10-33, second half, LSU, 3/31/08)Highest three-point percentage in a half: 1.000 (3-3, second half, Louisville, 3/29/08)Lowest three-point percentage in a half: .000 (10 occasions)Most bench points in a game: 59 (Wofford, 12/9/07)Fewest bench points in a game: 8 (Georgia, 3/25/08)Biggest rebounding advantage: +32 (Wofford, 12/9/07)Biggest rebounding deficit: -12 (44-56, Louisville, 3/29/08)Largest run: 32-0 (Wofford, 12/9/07)Largest run by opponent: 14-0 (Georgia, 3/25/08)

2007-08 Miscellaneous Single-Game Team Stats


2007-08 Season Review

Points31 LaToya Pringle vs. Maryland (1/26)28 LaToya Pringle at Virginia (2/15)28 Rashanda McCants vs. Purdue (11/29)27 LaToya Pringle vs. Louisville (3/29)27 Rashanda McCants vs. Syracuse (11/18)

Field goals made11 LaToya Pringle vs. Maryland (1/26)11 Rashanda McCants vs. Purdue (11/29)

Field goals attempted24 Rashanda McCants at Tennessee (12/2)21 Rashanda McCants vs. Duke (3/9)

Field goal percentage (minimum five made)1.000 (5-5) Erlana Larkins vs. Clemson (2/7).875 (7-8) Erlana Larkins at Miami (2/21)

Three-point field goals made5 Rebecca Gray vs. Georgia State (11/19)4 Heather Claytor vs. Clemson (3/7)4 Rashanda McCants vs. Syracuse (11/18)

Three-point field goals attempted8 Rebecca Gray vs. Georgia State (11/19)7 Heather Claytor vs. Furman (11/25)7 Cetera DeGraffenreid vs. Syracuse (11/18)7 Rashanda McCants vs. Syracuse (11/18)

Three-point percentage (minimum two made)1.000 (2-2) Rashanda McCants vs. Louisville (3/29)1.000 (2-2) Cetera DeGraffenreid at Duke (2/4)

Free throws made13 LaToya Pringle vs. Liberty (12/30)12 Cetera DeGraffenreid vs. Georgia State (11/19)

Free throws attempted19 LaToya Pringle vs. Louisville (3/29)18 Erlana Larkins vs. Virginia (3/8)

Free throw percentage (minimum five made)1.000 (12-12) Cetera DeGraffenreid vs. Georgia State (11/19)1.000 (6-6) Jessica Breland vs. Boston College (1/17)1.000 (6-6) Iman McFarland vs. Georgia State (11/19)1.000 (5-5) Cetera DeGraffenreid vs. Duke (3/2)1.000 (5-5) Rebecca Gray at Miami (2/21)1.000 (5-5) Martina Wood vs. College of Charleston (11/27)1.000 (5-5) Cetera DeGraffenreid vs. Furman (11/25)

Rebounds18 Erlana Larkins at Virginia (2/15)18 Erlana Larkins vs. Maryland (1/26)

Assists8 Rashanda McCants vs. Maryland (1/26)8 Rashanda McCants vs. Georgia State (11/19)8 Italee Lucas vs. Elon (11/13)

Steals6 Erlana Larkins vs. Florida State (2/17)6 Rashanda McCants vs. Georgia State (11/19)6 Cetera DeGraffenreid vs. Elon (11/13)

Blocks8 LaToya Pringle vs. Syracuse (11/18)6 LaToya Pringle vs. Duke (3/2)

Individual Season Highs by UNC Players

Erlana Larkins, one of the nation’s best offensive post players in 2007-08, was 5-5 from the field in the win over Clemson on Feb. 7.

School blocked shots career leader LaToya Pringle had a season-high eight swats against Syracuse on Nov. 18.

4 • 2008-09 UNC Women’s Basketball Media Guide

2008

Seni

ors Meghan Austin

#24 • 5-8 • Guard • Lynchburg, Va. (E.C. Glass)Missed the first seven games of the season after injuring her knee during the preseason • Made her first appearance of the season, establishing a new career high with five points in the win over College of Charleston on Nov. 27 • Grabbed a rebound in the win at Miami on Feb. 21 • Scored three points in her first career start in the Senior Night win over No. 12 Duke on March 2 • Energized the Tar Heels by tak-ing a charge from Duke’s Chante Black in the opening minutes.

Austin’s Career StatisticsYear GP-GS FGM-A-PCT 3FGM-A-PCT FTM-A-PCT O-D-REB/AV A TO B ST PF MIN/AV PTS/AV2003-04 13-0 2-9-22.2 1-4-25.0 3-5-60.0 0-2-2/0.2 4 6 0 0 1 26/2.0 8/0.62005-06 16-0 4-17-23.5 1-6-16.7 0-0-0.0 4-4-8/0.5 4 4 0 2 5 58/3.6 9/0.62006-07 13-0 3-12-25.0 1-3-33.3 3-4-75.0 1-7-8/0.5 5 6 0 0 5 62/4.8 10/0.82007-08 12-1 2-5-40.0 0-3-0.0 4-7-57.1 1-2-3/0.3 2 5 0 0 2 36/3.0 8/0.7Career 54-1 11-43-25.6 3-16-18.8 10-16-62.5 6-15-21/0.4 15 25 0 2 12 182/3.4 35/0.6

Erlana Larkins#2 • 6-1 • Forward • Riviera Beach, Fla. (The Benjamin School)Started all 35 games in which she appeared, averaging 13.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest • ACC Tournament MVP • State Farm All-America • USBWA All-America • AP All-America (Second Team) • ESPN.com All-America (Second Team) • 2008 First-team All-ACC • Wade Trophy Finalist • • Wooden Award Final Ballot (Top 17) • Four-time All-ACC selection, earning second-team honors as a freshman and first-team accolades each of the last three seasons • One of 10 players in ACC history to earn first-team All-ACC honors three times • Three-time All-ACC Tournament selection • Third-team AP All-America selection as a junior • 2007 NCAA Dallas Regional MVP • Ranks second in school history in career field

goal percentage (.571) • Also ranks in the top 10 in career rebounds, points, rebounding average, free throw percentage, steals and blocks • Finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season in the ACC Tourna-ment quarterfinal win over Clemson • Scored 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the semifinal win over No. 25 Virginia, her third straight double-double • Scored a team-high 17 points to go with eight rebounds in the title game win over No. 12 Duke • Earned MVP honors • Scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the first round win over Bucknell • Picked up her 12th double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the second round win over Georgia.

Larkins’ Career StatisticsYear GP-GS FGM-A-PCT 3FGM-A-PCT FTM-A-PCT O-D-REB/AV A TO B ST PF MIN/AV PTS/AV2004-05 34-25 181-297-60.9 0-5-0.0 134-163-82.2 119-123-242/7.1 55 73 36 70 69 872/25.6 496/14.62005-06 35-35 180-317-56.8 4-9-44.4 118-168-70.2 118-133-251/7.2 86 77 36 77 81 934/26.7 482/13.82006-07 37-37 182-321-56.7 0-4-0.0 112-165-67.9 167-182-349/9.4 103 90 20 81 71 973/26.3 476/12.92007-08 35-35 174-330-52.7 0-0-0.0 125-208-60.1 155-176-331/9.5 108 118 21 66 74 1020/29.1 473/13.5Career 141-132 717-1255-57.1 4-18-22.2 489-704-69.7 559-614-1173/8.3 352 348 113 294 295 3799/26.9 1927/13.7

LaToya Pringle#30 • 6-3 • Forward/Center • Fayetteville, N.C. (Seventy-First)Started 35 of 36 games, averaging 14.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest • State Farm All-America Finalist (Top 40) • ACC All-Tournament (First Team) • ACC Defensive Player of the Year • First-team All-ACC • ACC All-Defensive Team • Ranks first in school history in career field goal percentage (.579) • Ranks first in school history and second in ACC history with 336 career blocks •Scored 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbed five rebounds in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal win over Clemson • Fin-ished with 15 points, eight rebounds and five blocks in the semifinal win over No. 25 Virginia • Scored 16 points and pulled down six boards in the title game win over No. 12 Duke • Named first-team All-Tourna-

ment • Scored a game-high 19 points and blocked five shots, including the school record 330th of her career, in the NCAA Tournament first round win over Bucknell • Finished with 10 points and eight rebounds before fouling out of the second round win over Georgia • Named to the New Orleans Regional All-Tournament team after posting game highs of 27 and 21 points against Louisville and LSU.

Pringle’s Career StatisticsYear GP-GS FGM-A-PCT 3FGM-A-PCT FTM-A-PCT O-D-REB/AV A TO B ST PF MIN/AV PTS/AV2004-05 30-0 47-72-65.3 0-1-0.0 44-66-66.7 29-60-89/3.0 1 20 45 13 43 334/11.1 138/4.62005-06 35-1 60-103-58.3 0-0-0.0 70-94-74.5 53-102-155/4.4 20 56 75 39 56 537/15.3 190/5.42006-07 38-38 137-249-55.0 0-1-0.0 96-131-73.3 98-188-286/7.5 22 69 121 45 97 892/23.5 370/9.72007-08 35-35 174-298-58.4 1-1-1.000 161-215-74.9 102-150-252/7.2 29 60 95 50 84 868/24.8 510/14.6Career 138-74 418-722-57.9 1-3-33.3 371-506-73.3 282-500-782/5.7 72 205 336 147 280 2631/19.1 1208/8.8


2008 Seniors

Seniors Meghan Austin, Erlana Larkins and LaToya Pringle were part of the best four-year run in North Carolina women’s basketball history. During their time in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels were an amazing 130-13. That run included four consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference titles and four straight No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Larkins and Pringle became the first players in school history to finish their careers a perfect 12-0 in ACC Tournament play. Larkins became North Carolina’s 11th All-America performer as a junior in 2007 and earned consensus All-America honors as a senior. The Riviera Beach, Fla., product became the seventh player in program history to be honored on the State Farm All-America team, formerly known as the Kodak/WBCA All-America Team. Larkins was also named to the USBWA All-America team and earned second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press. The imposing post player finished her career as one of the most prolific scorers and rebounders in school history. Pringle will go down as one of the best defensive players in both school and ACC history. The Fayetteville, N.C., forward established a new school record for single-season blocked shots with 121 in 2007. She then took down the school career record, finishing her career with 336 blocks, the second-highest total in ACC history. Pringle had a breakout season as a senior, earning honorable mention All-America honors from several outlets including winning the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award. After closing out their college careers, Pringle and Larkins were first round picks in the 2008 WNBA Draft. Pringle was taken 13th overall by the Phoenix Mercury, while Larkins was the 14th overall pick to New York.


2006

Wom

en’s

Final

Four The 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons were two of the most suc-

cessful in North Carolina women’s basketball history. The Tar Heels advanced to back-to-back Women’s Final Fours for the first time in school history, traveling to Boston in 2006 and Cleveland in 2007. UNC needed wins over two powerhouse programs to advance to the respective Final Fours, as the Tar Heels defeated Tennessee in the Cleveland Region final in 2006 and Purdue in the Dallas Region final in 2007. With 87 wins against just six losses over the last two seasons, Carolina has established itself as one of the giants of collegiate women’s basketball. The next two pages feature a glimpse at the excitement and pageantry of the Women’s Final Four.

Ivory Latta and the Tar Heels were welcomed to Boston by a fife and drum line.

Erlana Larkins poured in 28 points against Maryland in the 2006 national semifinal to earn All-Final Four honors.

The basketball team was joined in Boston by the Tar Heel cheerleading squad as well as the pep band.


2007 Wom

en’s Final Four

The Tar Heels greeted fans at an autograph session before practice.

The Women’s Final Four was held at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, home of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Rashanda McCants played one of the best games of her career in the Final Four, scoring 13 points and pulling down a career-high nine rebounds.

Ivory Latta picked up her WBCA/Kodak All-America honors while in Cleveland.


2007

-08 A

CC Ye

ar in

Revie

w 2007-08 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings Conference Games All Games Team W L Pct. Hm. Rd. W L Pct. Hm. Rd. Neu. North Carolina 14 0 1.000 7-0 7-0 33 3 .917 18-0 8-2 7-1Maryland 13 1 .929 7-0 6-1 33 4 .892 21-0 9-2 3-2Duke 10 4 .714 5-2 5-2 25 10 .714 10-3 7-4 8-3Virginia 10 4 .714 5-2 5-2 24 10 .706 14-3 6-5 4-2Georgia Tech 7 7 .500 5-2 2-5 22 10 .688 14-2 7-7 1-1Florida State 7 7 .500 5-2 2-5 19 14 .576 9-3 6-8 4-3Boston College 7 7 .500 4-3 3-4 21 12 .636 14-3 5-8 2-1NC State 6 8 .429 4-3 2-5 21 13 .618 14-4 4-7 3-2Clemson 4 10 .286 1-6 3-4 12 19 .387 5-9 4-9 3-1Virginia Tech 2 12 .143 1-6 1-6 15 15 .500 11-6 1-7 3-2Wake Forest 2 12 .143 2-5 0-7 15 15 .500 10-6 2-8 3-1Miami 2 12 .143 1-6 1-6 9 21 .300 6-13 2-6 1-2

Player of the Year: Crystal Langhorne, MarylandDefensive Player of the Year: LaToya Pringle, North CarolinaRookie of the Year: Stefanie Murphy, Boston CollegeSixth Player of the Year: Jessica Breland, North CarolinaCoach of the Year: Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina

All-Atlantic Coast ConferenceFirst team: Crystal Langhorne, Maryland; Erlana Larkins, North Caro-lina; LaToya Pringle, North Carolina; Kristi Toliver, Maryland; Khadijah Whittington, NC StateSecond team: Chante Black, Duke; Marissa Coleman, Maryland; Brit-tany Cook, Virginia Tech; Rashanda McCants, North Carolina; Monica Wright, Virginia Third team: Laura Harper, Maryland; Lyndra Littles, Virginia; Janie Mitch-ell, Georgia Tech; Abby Waner, Duke; Sharneé Zoll, VirginiaHonorable mention: Tanae Davis-Cain, Florida State; Aisha Mohammed, Virginia; Stefanie Murphy, Boston College; Chioma Nnamaka, Georgia Tech; Maurita Reid, Miami

ACC All-Defensive TeamLaToya Pringle, North Carolina; Maurita Reid, Miami; Khadijah Whitting-ton, NC State; Jacqua Williams, Georgia Tech; Monica Wright, Virginia

ACC All-Freshman TeamAndrea Barbour, Virginia Tech; Cetera DeGraffenreid, North Carolina; Alex Montgomery, Gerogia Tech; Stefanie Murphy, Boston College; Caro-lyn Swords, Boston CollegeHonorable mention: Marah Strickland, Maryland; Jasmine Thomas, Duke

All-ACC TournamentFirst team: Monica Wright, Virginia; Abby Waner, Duke; Rashanda Mc-Cants, North Carolina; LaToya Pringle, North Carolina; Erlana Lar-kins, North Carolina – MVPSecond team: Mickel Picco, Boston College; Crystal Langhorne, Mary-land; Wanisha Smith, Duke; Joy Cheek, Duke; Cetera DeGraffenreid, North Carolina

2008 ACC TournamentThursday, March 6Georgia Tech 76, Miami 49Clemson 65, NC State 60 (OT)Boston College 57, Virginia Tech 47Florida State 57, Wake Forest 52Friday, March 7Virginia 52, Georgia Tech 43North Carolina 97, Clemson 77Maryland 93, Boston College 81Duke 81, Florida State 67Saturday, March 8 North Carolina 80, Virginia 65Duke 74, Maryland 63Sunday, March 9North Carolina 86, Duke 73

2007-08 Atlantic Coast Conference Award Winners

Consistency. It is the mark of true excellence in any endeavor.However, in today’s intercollegiate athletics, competition has become so balanced

and so competitive that it is virtually impossible to maintain a high level of consis-tency.

Yet the Atlantic Coast Conference has defied the odds. Now in its 56th year of competition, the ACC has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. And that is not mere conjecture, the numbers support it.

Since the league’s inception in 1953, ACC schools have captured 109 national championships, including 57 in women’s competition and 52 in men’s. In addition, NCAA individual titles have gone to ACC student-athletes 145 times in men’s competi-tion and 92 times in women’s action.

Since 1977, when the league adopted women’s basketball and a tradition of excel-lence was established, the ACC has continued to soar to new heights. The 2005-06 season marked the first time in NCAA history that a conference sent three teams to the same Final Four. The title game pitted an automatic ACC winner as second-seeded Maryland faced No. 1 seed Duke. The Terrapins claimed their first national title in school history and the league’s second with a thrilling 78-75 overtime game at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Mass., on April 4, 2006. Following the 2006-07 season, Duke became the first ACC team and only the 14th in NCAA history to finish a regular season undefeated (29-0), while the 34 wins for North Carolina marked the most in program history.

The 2007-08 season was no different in the continuation towards excellence as eight ACC teams earned postseason bids, including six NCAA Tournament berths. It also marked the sixth consecutive year the league has sent at least six to the Big Dance. Joining North Carolina and Maryland as representatives of the ACC in the NCAA Tournament were Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Virginia. Boston Col-lege and NC State represented the league in the Women’s NIT, marking the first-ever appearance for the Eagles and the Wolfpack’s first since 1976. NC State advanced to the semifinals, giving the squad 21 wins for the season, their third 20-plus win tally in the past four years.

For the third consecutive year, a pair of ACC teams earned two of the No. 1 seeds to the NCAA Tournament. North Carolina, which picked up the school’s fourth consecu-tive ACC Tournament crown, finished 30-2 and earned a No. 1 slot for the fourth con-secutive year, while Maryland, which concluded the season 30-3 overall and was 19-0 in College Park, Md., earned another top seed in the NCAA postseason tourney.

Over the years, ACC women’s basketball teams have gained global recognition through their television exposure. The 2007-08 schedule featured 57 televised games

and included 96 television appearances. In addition, the ACC broadcasted nine games on ESPN2 and seven on Fox Sports Net and affiliates. Twenty-seven match-ups were featured on the league’s regional sports network, which includes Comcast SportsNet, Fox Spots Net South, SunSports and New England’s Sports Network (NESN). To con-clude the 2007-08 season, the ACC finished 64-54 (.542) in front of a national televised audience, including a 23-12 mark against non-conference foes.

The league’s women’s basketball programs continue to rank among the best in the country in terms of the NCAA Tournament, having made 144 appearances and won 194 games in the last 31 years, including 32 wins by a number one seed. In addition to sending three teams to the same Final Four for the first time in history, the league has boasted such national accomplishments as sending at least one team to the “Sweet 16” for 20 consecutive years and at least one to the Final Four in 11 of the last 20 years. The conference has also made 14 trips to the Final Four in the last 27 years with three teams finishing second and North Carolina and Maryland capturing National Championships in 1994 and 2006, respectively.

Since 1989, the ACC has placed 14 players on the All-Final Four team, while Mary-land’s Laura Harper joined the ranks of Virginia’s Dawn Staley and North Carolina’s Charlotte Smith, who was dubbed the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2006. In all, 65 ACC players have been named to the NCAA Tournament All-Region teams with 10 Most Outstanding Player recognitions.

Eight players have garnered National Player of the Year accolades while competing under the ACC banner. Staley was a back-to-back selection in 1991 and 1992, while Smith received the ESPY award in 1995. Duke’s Alana Beard was recognized with National Player of the Year honors in both 2003 and 2004, and UNC’s Ivory Latta earned ESPN.com National Player of the Year in 2006. In 2007, Duke guard Lindsey Harding was named the Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year pre-sented by AT&T.

Five league coaches have combined to earn 13 national Coach of the Year honors. Duke’s Gail Goestenkors, North Carolina’s Sylvia Hatchell, Virginia’s Debbie Ryan, Maryland’s Chris Weller and NC State’s Kay Yow have all garnered national recogni-tion.

Seven ACC representatives, including coaches and student-athletes, have partici-pated in the Olympics. NC State’s Yow, assisted by Hatchell of UNC, headed up the 1988 gold medal-winning Olympic team. Maryland’s Vicky Bullett was a member of both the 1988 and 1992 Olympic teams. Staley, a three-time Olympian, struck gold in Athens as a member of the 2004 title squad. Duke’s Goestenkors served as an as-sistant coach on the gold medal-winning team in Athens.

The Atlantic Coast Conference

33-3 (14-0 acc, 18-0 home, 8-2 away, 7-1 neutral) 2007 … 86 • 2008-09 unc women’s basketball...

Documents