Nobody signs up for 8-20 at North Carolina. They were members of a typical Tar Heel recruiting class, maybe a little less-touted than most, but they were players who had every right to expect all the benefits that traditionally came with a UNC scholarship: top-10 rankings, 20-win seasons, NCAA tournament games and national title hopes.

Instead, Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel and Melvin Scott got 8-20, during their freshman season three years ago.

"It was frustrating and miserable," Manuel said.

The year before they arrived, North Carolina finished 26-7, tied for first in the ACC and reached the NCAA tournament for the 27th straight year.

The season that followed, 2001-2002, was like a stock market crash - unexpected, ruinous.

"You couldn't think about the future," Manuel said. "Because the future seemed so far away."

It was a long time coming, but a brighter future finally arrived. North Carolina finished the regular season this year at 26-3 and won the ACC regular-season title. The Tar Heels begin ACC Tournament play Friday and will likely enter next week's NCAA tournament as a No.1 seed.

After North Carolina's 75-73 win over Duke on Sunday, an on-court party erupted at the Dean Smith Center. Coach Roy Williams made sure his seniors were at the center of the celebration.

"Those three seniors, 8-20, I think they deserved to have some fun," Williams said.

Their first two seasons, especially their freshman year, was anything but. It began with a shocking loss to Hampton, then a loss to Davidson four days later. There was a one-point win over Binghamton, and losses to the College of Charleston and Ohio University. Then, there was ACC play. The Tar Heels finished 4-12, last in the league.

It was the worst showing in North Carolina's basketball history.

The freshmen were right there in the thick of it. Williams, a McDonald's All-American, started nine games, mostly late in the season. Manuel started 14 straight games.

Scott had it toughest at all. He started 21 games and was forced to play out of position, at point guard.

"We were criticized a lot," Williams said. "People said we weren't athletic enough."

The next year brought the arrival of a sparking class that would save Carolina basketball. Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants were everybody's high school All-Americans. Although the team improved to 19-16, the Tar Heels finished just 6-10 in the ACC. And again, Williams, Scott and Manuel were denied a chance to play in the NCAA tournament.

Doherty left after the season, giving way to Williams. Last year was spent adjusting to the new coach, and the Tar Heels made undeniable but incremental progress. They went 19-11, were 8-8 in the ACC, and returned to the NCAA tournament.

This year, Williams has the team playing the fast and relentless style of his best teams at Kansas. The 6-foot-8 Williams has had a breakout year, averaging 14.4 points and shooting 57 percent from the field. Manuel, 6-5, has started every game and found a role as a defensive stopper. Scott, 6-1, has been a valuable reserve, able to play either backcourt position.

"It just shows you that if you hang in there, no matter what the situation, there will be a brighter day," Scott said.