This is not your typical Duke-UNC matchup, mostly because this is not your typical Tar Heel team.
When this year's North Carolina team takes the floor of Cameron Indoor Stadium tonight at 7 p.m., the perennial ACC power will not be ranked in the top 25 and it will be seated near the basement of the conference rankings.
Ranked ninth in the country to start the year, the Tar Heels (10-8, 2-5 in the ACC) have fallen to unimaginable lows, including a humiliating 69-56 loss to Wake Forest last week.
The season began respectfully enough as UNC built up a 9-3 record, losing to two top-four teams and 11th-ranked Notre Dame.
But then it happened.
What it is is still a mystery, but it resulted in star point guard Nikki Teasley leaving the team for what was described as personal reasons and the Tar Heels losing five of their last six games.
"They've been going through some tough times, with Teasley out," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. "It's a tough adjustment and they've had two freshmen that they've been playing at the point position. Any time you have to adjust to losing a player, especially a player that's like an All-American it's tough, but when it's also your point guard, the person that rubs your team and controls tempo, it makes it even more difficult."
But North Carolina is still North Carolina, and the Tar Heels have shown improvement on the court, if not in the rankings. Teasley returned to the team this week, and although Hatchell says she will not play until Sunday at the earliest, her first full practice with the team Wednesday must have provided a much-needed emotional boost for the struggling Heels.
"I think they're really coming together though," Goestenkors said. "They're just getting better and better and it's just a matter of time because they have so many great players on that team. It wasn't just a one-person team....
"I just hope they don't put it together by [tonight]."
But yesterday afternoon, it was Goestenkors who was the one frantically trying to put her team together.
Inclement weather delayed Duke's flight out of Tallahassee and the Blue Devils were forced to miss a day of practice.
Although usually not a cause for too much distress, North Carolina plays a defense unlike any other conference foe, switching after every screen.
"It's a tough team to prepare for and that's why we wish we would have had [Tuesday] because it's hard to prepare for a totally different defense in just one day," Goestenkors said. "You're looking for different things because different options will be open for us.
"We haven't been real patient in recent games offensively. Against their defense you have to show great patience and you have to be very intelligent with your screens and with your cuts."
Last year the Blue Devils won both games by comfortable margins and a win tonight would give the Blue Devils their third straight win over North Carolina, a feat never accomplished by the program. But Barksdale doesn't think Duke should count its chickens too early.
"There is a revenge factor [after last year]" the junior said. "I'm feeling really good going into this game. I think we're going to come out with a victory."
Barksdale's showdown with Duke's Peppi Browne will have a lot to do with Carolina's chances. The forward leads the conference in scoring and rebounding, but will be pitted against Browne, one of the ACC's top post defenders.
"I think it's going to be a great matchup because Peppi's got a lot of guard skills too," Goestenkors said. "Peppi's going to try and deny her as much as possible, limit her touches, because she does make so many good things happen for them."
Browne and frontcourt mates Rochelle Parent and Lauren Rice will have their hands full trying to contain both Barksdale and the ACC's second-leading rebounder, Tar Heel center Jackie Higgins.
But Goestenkors, who along with Hatchell feel rebounding will determine tonight's outcome, says that her backcourt is expected to step up.
"Our guards have not been rebounding the ball well at all," the coach said. "And so I kind of issued a challenge to them. They have to do a better job rebounding for us [tonight] in order for us to be successful."
And with their arch rivals in town, success means everything to the Blue Devils. For even if this year's matchup seems less enticing than in years past, Duke-UNC is still Duke-UNC.
"They always love playing Carolina," Goestenkors said. "It doesn't matter what the records are and who's missing and who's not, because it's such a great rivalry and such an emotional game for both teams.
"We know we need to come to play and we need to be prepared."
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