March 3, 2008

• 2008 ACC Women's Basketball Tournament Site

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina and Maryland clearly were the two best teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, and that was reflected in the all-league team released Monday.

The Tar Heels and Terrapins both placed two players on the All-ACC first team, with each school boasting a three-time first-team honoree.

Crystal Langhorne and Kristi Toliver of Maryland joined Erlana Larkins and LaToya Pringle of North Carolina, and North Carolina State's Khadijah Whittington on the first team as determined by a vote of 49 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

Seniors Langhorne and Larkins made the first team for the third straight season, becoming the ninth and 10th players in league history to accomplish that. They were both second-team picks as freshmen in 2005.

North Carolina and Maryland have reigned atop the league all season, with the Tar Heels capping their first 14-0 finish in ACC play by routing rival Duke on Sunday. They gave the Terps their only league loss of the year, a 97-86 double-overtime classic in Chapel Hill, and could play again for the title at this week's ACC tournament.

Langhorne (144 voting points), Toliver (144), Whittington (142) and Larkins (138) were overwhelming picks, with each player voted to the first team on at least 40 ballots. Pringle rounded it out with 97 voting points and received 16 first-team votes. A first-team vote is worth three voting points.

Langhorne, the preseason player of the year, is sixth in the league in scoring (16.5 points) and second in rebounding (9.2). Toliver ranks fourth in scoring (17.2) and tops in assists (7.6) and free-throw percentage (84.8 percent) while leading the second-seeded Terrapins to a No. 5 national ranking.

Larkins played through a lingering hand injury and averaged 13 points and nine rebounds. Pringle contributed 13.8 points and seven rebounds per game, helping the second-ranked Tar Heels position themselves for their fourth straight ACC tournament title and third consecutive Final Four berth.

Whittington, a third-team selection last season, leads the conference in rebounding (11.3) and is third in the league in scoring (17.2 points) for N.C. State, which holds the No. 8 seed in the tournament. She joined Langhorne and Larkins as preseason first-teamers to make the final all-ACC first team.

Named to the second team were Virginia's Monica Wright, North Carolina's Rashanda McCants, Duke's Chante Black, Maryland's Marissa Coleman and Virginia Tech's Brittany Cook - who leads the league with 18.2 points per game.

Georgia Tech's Janie Mitchell, Maryland's Laura Harper and Virginia's Sharnee' Zoll made the third-team, along with a pair of second-team honorees from 2007 in Duke's Abby Waner and the Cavaliers' Lyndra Littles.

Maryland led the league with four players on the three teams, with North Carolina and Virginia placing three apiece and 12th-ranked Duke placing two. The Cavaliers, the preseason pick to finish sixth, ended the regular season with a come-from-behind 103-101 double-OT win against Georgia Tech to claim the No. 4 seed and were rewarded with the No. 25 national ranking - their first in four years.

The All-ACC women's teams, as voted on by 49 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association:

First Team (votes)
Crystal Langhorne, Maryland (144)
Kristi Toliver, Maryland (144)
Khadijah Whittington, North Carolina State (142)
Erlana Larkins, North Carolina (138)
LaToya Pringle, North Carolina (97)

Second Team
Monica Wright, Virginia (95)
Rashanda McCants, North Carolina (85)
Chante Black, Duke (84)
Marissa Coleman, Maryland (83)
Brittany Cook, Virginia Tech (76)

Third Team
Janie Mitchell, Georgia Tech (73)
Laura Harper, Maryland (48)
Abby Waner, Duke (43)
Sharnee' Zoll, Virginia (42)
Lyndra Littles, Virginia (24)

Honorable Mention (15 or more votes)
Aisha Mohammed, Virginia (23)
Stefanie Murphy, Boston College (18)
Tanae Davis-Cain, Florida State (17)
Maurita Reid, Miami (17)
Chioma Nnamaka, Georgia Tech (15)