Sylvia Hatchell admits she tried a little of everything last year to pull North Carolina out of its late-season fade, from juggling the starting lineup to tweaking the practice drills that she had long used.
Now, a year later, Hatchell's team finds itself in similar position to where it was just before things started to go wrong. The 11th-ranked Tar Heels have a sparkling record heading into Monday's marquee matchup with No. 2 Connecticut followed by the meat of their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule, a stretch that could define whether they really can make a deep postseason run.
''There are probably still some question marks out there about us,'' Hatchell said after Sunday afternoon's practice. ''It's a little different role. Sometimes it's better to fly under the radar, but that's OK. (The players) are working hard and they're getting better and we've got depth, so that's OK.''
The Tar Heels (16-1) have the depth and athleticism that have long been a trademark of Hatchell's teams here. But they're a year wiser after last year's struggles, and they also have back an all-ACC caliber player in Jessica Breland.
Last season, Breland sat out the season while she was treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma. That robbed the Tar Heels of a long-armed rebounder who could create havoc at the top of their trapping defense while possessing a reliable shooting stroke.
With Breland gone, that increased the pressure on upperclassmen Italee Lucas and Cetera DeGraffenreid along with a talented group of youngsters. The Tar Heels started 13-1 and reached seventh nationally before a 41-point loss at UConn, which ended up being the start of the slide. The Tar Heels - who had won at least 24 games for eight straight seasons - lost seven of eight at one point before losing in the first round of the ACC and NCAA tournaments to cap a 19-12 year.
''I think as we went along, even our upperclassmen, they just lost their confidence,'' Hatchell said. ''All those kids, the commitment they made, I mean, they did not like losing. And I'm not a good loser at all.''
The Tar Heels' only loss this year came by a point at Georgia Tech, a game in which they blew a seven-point lead with about a minute left. Meanwhile, Breland is second on the team in scoring (13.5 points) while leading the team with eight rebounds per game.
''That should be an inspiration to every kid playing basketball, and every person that's not even involved in sports,'' Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said.
''Obviously, she has a tremendously positive personality and had a passion for wanting to get back to play basketball and was able to do it. And I think there are players probably playing today that if they played with half that kind of positive mentality and that kind of passion would be much better players.''
The Tar Heels' biggest trouble this year has been protecting big leads. They blew nearly all of a 20-point lead in a win at Iowa, a 17-point lead in a win at Boston College and a 24-point second-half lead in Friday night's win against rival North Carolina State. It's a sign that this year's Tar Heels haven't arrived just yet, though they're talking with more confidence these days.
''I think we've definitely taken a step forward,'' sophomore Krista Gross said. ''We've definitely figured out how good we are. We just have to let people see it.''
They'll certainly have the stage to do it against the Huskies. The Tar Heels had won three straight in the series before Connecticut came to Chapel Hill two years ago in a 1-vs-2 matchup and won by 30. Things looked even worse last year, with the Tar Heels falling behind 56-24 at halftime in the 88-47 loss.
Hatchell's goal this time around sounds simple.
''I want to see us play well,'' Hatchell said. ''I want to see us go out there, play well, play with confidence and realize that, hey, we can beat a team like this.''
---
Associated Press writer Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.
