North Carolina women's basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell expects the worst this time of year. It's a way to protect herself from the disappointment of a low seed or tough regional assignment from the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

Before her team's fate was announced Monday, she imagined what could go wrong:

"The worst could be that we're not a No. 1 seed and have to play a Tennessee or Connecticut to get to the Final Four."

Some of those concerns were allayed when it was announced that the second-ranked Tar Heels will be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the top seed in the New Orleans Regional.

The Tar Heels will play No. 16 seed Bucknell in the first round in Norfolk, Va., at noon Sunday.

If the top seeds in their region were to advance, the Heels could face No. 4 seed Louisville in the round of 16 and No. 2 seed LSU in the round of eight for a chance at the Final Four.

After fearing the worst, Hatchell greeted Monday's news with a we've-been-slighted, life-as-usual attitude as her team watched the ESPN selection show from Tyler's in Carrboro.

Hatchell, whose teams have played NCAA Tournament opponents on their home floor in three of the past five seasons, could face Louisville and LSU at the New Orleans Arena. Clearly, she was hoping for a placement in the Greensboro Regional.

Asked to comment on the New Orleans Regional, Hatchell greeted the question with stony silence.

"Just go play," she said. "There's nothing we can do about it."

While top-ranked Connecticut received the tournament's overall No. 1 seed, the Heels were placed close to home for the opening round, a sign that the tournament committee took proximity into consideration.

But that's where the consideration ended.

UNC's path to the Final Four in Tampa, Fla., on April 6-8 could be difficult.

"They have a tough road to get to Tampa," ESPN analyst Kara Lawson said in a telephone interview, "probably the toughest of all the No. 1 seeds."

Nonetheless, Lawson picked UNC to win it all.

Six ACC schools, including fifth-ranked Maryland and 24th-ranked Virginia, were selected as part of this year's 64-team field. The Terps earned a No. 1 seed in the Spokane Regional.

Duke, the ninth-ranked team in the nation, received a No. 3 seed and is scheduled to face No. 14 seed Murray State in the first round in College Park, Md., on Sunday.

N.C. State (18-12) did not make the draw, a possibility coach Kay Yow addressed two weeks ago after her team lost in the first round of the ACC Tournament to lower- seeded Clemson.

Meanwhile, the Tar Heels hope this season will culminate in the school's second national championship since the 1994 squad -- led by current assistant coach Charlotte Smith -- arrived in Richmond, Va., and brought back the trophy to Carmichael Auditorium.

Participants in back-to-back Final Fours, the Heels still were considered by few to sit among the nation's elite teams when this season started, considering the graduation of All-America guards Ivory Latta and Camille Little.

However, led by seniors Erlana Larkins and LaToya Pringle and junior Rashanda McCants, the Heels struck back at that notion with a string of nine wins to open the season. They have won 21 of their past 22 games, including 13 in a row.

The Heels are 30-2 and completed the first undefeated ACC regular-season schedule in school history.

Connecticut and third-ranked Tennessee are the only teams to defeat the Heels this season, losses that Hatchell said should not detract from team's season.

She pointed to wins over Arizona State, Purdue, Maryland, Virginia and Georgia Tech, all ranked in The Associated Press poll at some point this season.

"We've played the best," Hatchell said. "We've played Tennessee on their homecourt when they were ranked No. 1. We've played Connecticut on their homecourt when they were ranked No. 1. And played them well."

This season, the Heels swept the regular-season series against Triangle rival Duke, then defeated the Blue Devils 86-73 in the ACC Tournament final. It was the first time since the 2004-05 season that either team had won all three meetings in one season.

On Feb. 4, the Heels defeated Duke 93-76 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Later that night, Hatchell and some of her players celebrated by throwing toilet paper on trees in front of Sutton's Drug Store on Franklin Street. Their celebration caught the attention of a Chapel Hill police officer, who gave Hatchell a verbal warning and asked that her team stop littering and pick up the paper.

At the time, Hatchell said she was surprised by the warning, considering all of the raucous celebrations on Franklin Street after the men's team wins big games. Since then, the issue has become cause celebre among Tar Heels fans, who frequently tossed their own toilet paper rolls at games.

After the Heels defeated Duke on March 2 in the regular-season finale, fans draped Hatchell with a toilet paper necklace.

Asked after that game if she was headed to Franklin Street, Hatchell said:

"Hopefully we'll be able to ... do that with a bigger victory in a few weeks. I'd be out there then."