North Carolina last unbeaten team in Division I - men or women

2/3/2006 1:31 PM

By KEITH PARSONS
AP Sports Writer

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - An energetic point guard who draws comparisons to everyone from Phil Ford to Allen Iverson. A center who is tall enough to hold her own in the paint, yet fast enough to beat everyone down the court.

And a host of complementary players determined to do whatever it takes.

No wonder North Carolina is the last remaining unbeaten team in Division I - men's or women's.

``I hope it doesn't creep into anything,'' said Erlana Larkins, the talented center who averages 12.9 points a game. ``Now that we're the ONLY team in the nation that's undefeated, we have the biggest target on our back that we've ever had.''

It's an unfamiliar position for the Tar Heels (21-0), even though they have been among the best programs in the nation over the past several seasons. Following a victory last Sunday over second-ranked Duke, they moved to the top of The Associated Press women's basketball poll for the first time.

Their previous best? One week spent at No. 2 early last season.

Coach Sylvia Hatchell wasn't quite sure how her players would react, so she shared with them a lesson she learned as a child.

``I'm going to tell you something my mama always told me,'' Hatchell said when she met with her team earlier this week. ``Don't get too big for your britches.''

Despite the warning, she doesn't appear too worried that will happen.

``There's still a lot of time left in the season,'' Hatchell said. ``We can get a lot better than we are.''

Scary thought. With point guard Ivory Latta leading the way, North Carolina is clearly the favorite to win the national title in a couple of months in Boston.

Already this season, Hatchell's team handed Connecticut its worst home loss under coach Geno Auriemma, a 77-54 drubbing in December that left him speechless for one of the few times in his illustrious career.

Perhaps more impressive than that victory was the one against the Blue Devils. It was the Tar Heels' fourth straight over their Tobacco Road rival, and the second in a row at historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Down 12 points midway through the second half, North Carolina rallied behind Larkins and Latta. Each made clutch plays down the stretch, with Larkins scoring 17 of her season-high 23 points after halftime and Latta finishing with 17 points.

On the short trip back to North Carolina's campus, Hatchell had the bus stop on Chapel Hill's Franklin Street for a little celebration, just for the team. Once the party was over, it quickly was forgotten.

``It's over and done with,'' said Latta, the team's leading scorer at 16.9 points a game. ``It's like any other game, you've got to put it behind you. It's gone, man.''

That's the feeling she leaves quite often with defenders. Generously listed at 5-foot-6, Latta has the type of quickness that can take over a game, while also possessing the toughness of a player much bigger.

Against the Blue Devils, she was rocked in the final minutes by a screen - ``I got my bell rung,'' she said with a smile - but stayed in the game to play all 40 minutes.

She also provided a big assist to Larkins, telling her teammate to shoot open 3-pointers if she was left alone. Larkins made two in that game to bring her season total to three.

``I was very confident she could hit the shot,'' Latta said. ``I think more people are going to start honoring her jump shot, and that's when she will show the ability to drive past them. She's pretty deadly.''

Yet Larkins and Latta have plenty of help.

Forward Camille Little was named Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year two years ago and made first-team all-conference in each of her previous two seasons. La'Tangela Atkinson, a 6-2 senior, can play a variety of positions and tied a career high with 15 rebounds against Duke.

A rotation that goes 10-deep certainly helps, too.

``I think we have a complete team, but like all teams, we have flaws,'' Larkins said. ``For the most, I think we're pretty complete, with a little tuning up to do.''

She obviously wouldn't talk about what those flaws were, but she did admit that losing a game before the NCAA tournament might help the Tar Heels. Of course, Larkins also realizes that the suddenly full bandwagon would quickly lose supporters.

``If we were ever to lose that first game, people are going to make it seem like the end of the world,'' she said. ``But sometimes, a loss makes teams better, so we'll see what happens on later down the road.''