North Carolina romped past Carson-Newman, 114-64, in the Tar Heels' first public exhibition game of the 2008-2009 women's basketball season.
There was no surprise in that final score. The Heels dominated their Division II opponents at the Smith Center - their new home for the season as Carmichael Auditorium is remodeled.
The game action offered UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell a different atmosphere to observe a team that looks much different than teams over the past four seasons where the Heels won four consecutive ACC championships.
Hatchell acknowledged the new look but has not changed her philosophy. Her teams push the tempo and this one will do the same. And may be faster than last year's group.
In these early days, before their season-opener against Western Carolina on Nov. 14, Hatchell is experimenting with various line-ups and player combinations.
Against Carson-Newman, she opened the second half with sophomore point guard Cetera DeGraffenreid, senior guard Alex Miller, senior forward Rashanda McCants, junior forward Jessica Breland and freshman forward Laura Broomfield.
There were several other combinations, including:DeGraffenreid (1), senior Heather Claytor (2), McCants (3), Breland (4) and freshman Chay Shegog (5)
Hatchell even put four guards on the floor at the same time: DeGraffenreid, sophomore Italee Lucas, freshman She'la White and Miller. She liked the speed of that combinaton but said she's not likely to do that often.
The big player move of the season is McCants moving from the small forward to the power forward. She seemed comfortable with the transition. It put her in place to rebound and touch the ball more often. She scored a quiet 14 points and grabbed 12 boards.
Hatchell said last year's team, built around seniors Erlana Larkins and LaToya Pringle, were as good in November as they were in March.
This season's team, however, may bloom later in this season. She says they may take lumps in the early months. She knows they were sloppy against Carso-Newman, committing 30 turnovers. But she says they'll keep on running and fix things on the go.
The Heels are currently ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press preseason
top 25 poll and were picked as the ACC's top preseason pick.
Below listen to Hatchell talk about using different player combinations and preparing for the season-opener.
Edward joined the News & Observer staff in 2004. He is a graduate of American University and Johns Hopkins University. He covers Wake Forest football and women's college basketball for the N&O. Edward is a native of Washington, D.C. He can be reached at 829-4781 or 
