Lucas relishes chance to finally beat UConn

In Italee Lucas' first three seasons of basketball at North Carolina, her team played in the NCAA Tournament each year and the 11th-ranked Tar Heels are likely to get back there this year.

Lucas' role in her team's success was recognized last week when the Centennial High School product was named among 20 candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, given annually to the best player in women's college basketball.

"Being selected to that list is an honor. It's been a lot of hard work," the 22-year-old senior said Sunday.

Lucas, a 5-foot-8-inch shooting guard, spoke on the eve of a great opportunity for her and North Carolina. Today, the Tar Heels (16-1) will get a chance to defeat reigning national champion Connecticut (16-1), an accomplishment that eluded Lucas the last two seasons.

She said today's 4 p.m. matchup, which will be televised by ESPN, hasn't lost any importance even though the second-ranked Huskies had their 90-game winning streak stopped by Stanford on Dec. 30.

"That will be a big game for us," Lucas said. "We are highly focused. Beating them would rank up there, but we are more focused on the (Atlantic Coast Conference) tournament and getting back into the NCAA (Tournament)."

The game will feature two other Wooden nominees: Lucas' teammate Jessica Breland and the Huskies' Maya Moore.

Lucas is enjoying the best year of her career. She leads the Tar Heels with 18.2 points per game, and is shooting 77.8 percent on free throws and 42 percent on 3-pointers. She has led her team in scoring in 11 of 17 games, including a career-high 34 points in a Dec. 2 victory over Iowa.

"Lucas is a great player," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder told ESPN.com afterward. "She really hurt us. She's even better than I thought she was going to be, watching her on film. She's got a quick release; she's got a really pretty shot."

Lucas averaged 13.9 points as a sophomore and 14.7 last season. She said she worked over the past summer mostly to improve her defense.

"She is a more complete player this year. And she's not trying to overdo it," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell told ESPN.

"I think her decision making is better. But hey, I don't know anybody in the country that can outshoot her. She is a pure shooter and she can stretch the defense, no doubt about that."

Lucas had an illustrious career at Centennial, where in 2007 she was the state Class 4A player of the year as a senior. She led the Bulldogs to state championships in 2004 and 2005.

Lucas said she's likely to play professionally overseas instead of joining the WNBA after graduating in May with a major in communications.

"I want to travel," she said, adding she also might make more money playing out of the country.

Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247.