Instead, it was a look into the future, which seems simultaneously disappointing and exciting.
Premier Players beat North Carolina 89-79 in an exhibition game Thursday at Carmichael Auditorium, but the game was a side note to the night's other subplots.
Tar Heel guard Nikki Teasley, who sat out last season due to private reasons, didn't play in Thursday's game and won't play in UNC's season opener against George Mason on Nov. 9.
According to a pregame press release, Teasley received a one-game suspension for violating the NCAA's outside-competition rule by playing in a recreational game in January.
"She inadvertently, unknowingly played in a game," said UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell, who said she didn't play Teasley on Thursday because she wanted to play the team that would start in the season opener.
Freshman guard Leah Metcalf picked up the Tar Heels' offensive slack, scoring 24 points and dishing out six assists. The Tar Heels were able to press and run the fast break effectively against Premier Players, a team made of former college stars, including former UNC forward LaQuanda Barksdale.
Barksdale, who is finishing her studies at the University, scored 11 points.
"We teased her and called her a traitor," said center Candace Sutton. "It was different playing against `Q.'"
