'T-hump' and 'E' take friendly rivalry to the court

NORFOLK

Erlana Larkins chuckles when asked for a scouting report on Georgia star Tasha Humphrey.

"She likes to have a good time, crack a joke," the Tar Heels All-American said. "Looking at 'T,' you think she's low-key and quiet. But she likes to play games, make up songs."

Humphrey has the inside scoop on Larkins.

"She likes to play practical jokes, but she's nowhere near as good as I am," said Humphrey. "She's close, though."

Larkins and Humphrey - "T-Hump" and "E" - have been practice partners and gold medal-winning teammates at last summer's Pan-Am Games. They even nearly played together in college. Tonight, for the first time in their collegiate careers, the seniors will be pitted against each other.

Larkins' Tar Heels meet Humphrey's Lady Bulldogs in the second round of the NCAA tournament at the Constant Center.

And, as usual, each figures to be the center of attention.

Both are solidly built power forwards. The 6-foot-1 Larkins is a four-time All-ACC pick; the 6-3 Humphrey is a four-time All-SEC selection. Both are voracious rebounders. And while Humphrey can also be lethal from the perimeter,

Larkins insists that, when the need arises, she can make 3-pointers, too.

And the two All-Americans like to have fun, something they discovered about each other last summer in Rio de Janeiro during the Pan-Am Games.

"After we won the championship, she was doing this rap she made up," said Larkins, who joined in by beating on the windows of the bus back to the hotel.

It was typical Humphrey, whose lively spirit goes back to when she was a 9-year-old and played a "Hall of Fame" practical joke on her mother.

"I duct-taped her eyes shut while she was sleeping on April Fool's Day," Humphrey said, giggling.

"She woke up and thought she was blind."

Both will be serious tonight, though. For all their accolades, neither has taken home the ultimate prize - an NCAA trophy. North Carolina has lost the past two years in the national semifinals. Georgia hasn't been that far since Humphrey was still in high school.

The drought might not have been so long if Larkins had followed through on her initial verbal commitment.

"Georgia was my No. 1 school," Larkins said. "It just didn't work out."

Imagine if it had. Larkins and Humphrey have.

"It'd be crazy," Larkins said. "We'd be dominant."

"We complement each other. We'd be capable of hurting a lot of teams," Humphrey said. "It'd be a lot of fun."

Someone's fun will end tonight in the second round, but both still have promising pro careers ahead of them.

"Who knows?" Larkins said. "We might be on the same team in the WNBA.

"That'd be something to look forward to."