Game day is here as the much-anticipated showdown between No. 1 UConn and No. 2 North Carolina is only eight hours away.

Both teams figure to be down a starter. UConn guard Caroline Doty is out for the season after tearing a ligament in her left knee in Saturday's win over Syracuse. North Carolina forward Iman McFarland has a high ankle sprain and is not expected to play. Sylvia Hatchell said she expects Martina Wood to start. Look for freshman Chay Shegog to see plenty of action. Hatchell said Shegog has failed to complete a conditioning requirement and that is why she isn't starting.

Hatchell wanted no part of the question whether UConn/North Carolina has replaced UConn/Tennessee as the most anticipated regular-season game of the season.

"That wasn't my decision," Hatchell said of the end of the UConn/Tennessee series. "It happened because you have two great programs and when we scheduled this, the way it has played out is great because it has been built up as the game of the season. We are glad to be a part of it. We want to go out, play well and make it a great game."

The UConn/Carolina series will continue on as a two-year extension has been signed.

Hatchell was hoping today's game will break the Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball attendance record of 17,950 when the Tar Heels played at Maryland on Jan. 28, 2007. I spoke to North Carolina women's basketball sports information director Bobby Hundley on Sunday but he did not have an update on how ticket sales were going.

There's no word from the Big East Conference whether there will be any fall out from the actions of UConn coach Geno Auriemma or Syracuse forward Nicole Michael following their exchange of words. Maybe we can just start calling it "Wobbly Walking Gate."

Kind of curious what the reaction of the Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif. girls' basketball team was to the events which unfolded on Saturday night. They were in New England playing in a game in a tournament in Springfield, Mass. and were invited to sit behind the UConn bench for the Syracuse game. Of course, the fact that Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, arguably the best high school sophomore in the country, plays for Mater Dei might have a little to do with the special invite. Mosqueda-Lewis got to see the emotional side of Auriemma. I have never seen Auriemma as was as worked up or taking as much issue with another coach (Syracuse's Quintin Hillsman) as he was on Saturday.

Changing gears, after watching the antics of receivers like Keyshawn Johnson, Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, Plaxico Burress and Randy Moss, it is refreshing to see a stud receiver like Larry Fitzgerald of the Super Bowl bound Arizona Cardinals just play the game without all the excess garbage that the NFL's receiving divas bring to the equation.