Chances are if you look at the calendar of any women's basketball player, you won't have any trouble finding the box for Feb. 12. Chances are its been circled, starred, boxed and circled again. Chances are somewhere in the middle are three letters: UNC.
In a season of 26 games, sometimes it seems like only one matters.
There will be no No. 1 versus No. 2 hype, no game-of-the-century overtones and no foam tonight as the fifth-ranked Tar Heels (19-4, 9-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) take on No. 13 Duke (16-6, 9-3) in Cameron. But what there will be is the renewal of what is perhaps one of the greatest rivalries in all of college sports.
"Its just huge in any sport," point guard Hilary Howard said. "There's a lot of excitement surrounding the game, especially [tonight] since we're both tied for first in the ACC."
It may just be this kind of intense rivalry that Duke needs to grab on to the No. 1 spot and pull itself out of a recent malaise.
Following their romp through the conference elite, knocking off three consecutive top-20 teams, the Blue Devils have struggled, including a tough loss at Maryland and a slim victory over conference whipping boy Georgia Tech.
"We've had a week off, and we've had some good practices [since playing Georgia Tech]," Howard said. "I think this is going to be a game where we go back to the level of play we had earlier."
North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell expects the same from the Blue Devils.
"I think Duke has an outstanding team," Hatchell said. "We have tremendous respect for their team. You really can't judge anything from [the Georgia Tech game]; we had a close game with Georgia Tech also. It is very tough down there. Duke [has] played extremely well.... We know we have to play extremely well [against Duke]. It should be a great game."
However, between the pair of less-than-stellar outings on the road was a gem against Wake Forest at home, a place where the Blue Devils have been virtually unstoppable all season. With a 6-0 conference mark in Cameron, Duke hasn't needed much help in dispatching its competition, but it will get help tonight in the form of a few hundred new faces to Cameron-the students.
"In the past we've had a real big home-court advantage," Howard said. "There's a lot of excitement, and not only students but people in the community get excited about the rivalry."
On the court, however, the Blue Devils will need help-help containing All-American Tracy Reid, who leads the conference in scoring with 24.7 points per ACC outing. Reid single-handedly lifted the Tar Heels to an 83-74 victory in this year's previous matchup, scoring a game-high 31 points that included 17 of Carolina's final 24.
"She's definitely one of the best players in the nation," Howard said. "She's hard to guard because she's so athletic and always moving. We need to limit her touches of the ball, because when she gets it, she's unstoppable."
The other primary component in the Tar Heel attack is super freshman Nikki Teasley. Last year's top high school recruit in Blu e Star magazine, Teasley has shown that her talent goes beyond the hype.
In 12 conference games, Teasley ranks second in the ACC in assists with 5.5 (behind Howard), and her 12.8 points per game places her in the ACC's top-10.
"She's really talented and athletic," Howard said. "She can penetrate well and shoot the three pointer. She does everything well."
The Blue Devil counterattack should begin right where it left off the last time these two met-in the post. Center Michele VanGorp posted career numbers in the loss, exploiting the smaller, less physical Carolina defense.
"We're going to look to get it inside, because our post players are bigger and stronger." Howard said. "We're going to try to work it in to [VanGorp] and Payton Black and hopefully get some fouls on their post players."
Duke's cornerstone, however, could continue to be the perimeter play of guards Howard, Nicole Erickson and Georgia Schweitzer. Like VanGorp, Schweitzer posted a career-high point total against the Tar Heels en route to being named ACC Rookie of the Week.
Throughout the season the quick starts of Howard and Erickson have been the driving force behind the Blue Devils' successes.
"We need to attack," Howard said. "They play really good pressure defense, so one of the keys will be for [the guards] to attack."
Even though Duke has been on a downward trajectory recently, whereas the Tar Heels have risen to their highest national ranking of the season, this matchup chould prove to be yet another thrilling chapter in one of the most classic stories in all of college sports.
"I think its going to be a real hard-fought battle," Howard said. "Both teams always play well when we play each other. It's going to be real up and down, real tough and real competitive."
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