CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Even while growing up in a tropical paradise, Derrick Low looked at the University of North Carolina as basketball heaven.

"When I think about college basketball, the first name that pops up is North Carolina," said Low, a senior guard for Washington State. "Just because of the history they have behind it — great coaches, players, especially Michael Jordan ... When I was growing up, if you asked me what college I wanted to go to, my first answer would be, 'North Carolina.' I'm sure if you asked any kid playing basketball growing up, that probably would be one of the first names that comes up."

Today, at 1:27 p.m. Hawai'i time, Low won't just be knock-knock-knocking on heaven's door.

He hopes to kick it in.

Low, a 2004 'Iolani School graduate from Honolulu, will lead the Cougars into today's NCAA Tournament East Regional semifinal against No. 1-ranked North Carolina before an expected heavily partisan crowd of 20,000 at Bobcats Arena in Charlotte.

For Low, childhood admiration will have to be put aside as Washington State tries to take the latest and biggest step in the program's remarkable turnaround from Pac-10 Conference cellar dweller to Sweet 16 contender.

"They're a great team and it's going to be an honor to be able to play against them, but we can't be awestruck by this because of their name," Low said yesterday during a post-practice interview session at Bobcats Arena. "This is basketball, and there is going to be competition. Although it's an honor to play them, we mean business and whether we win or lose, we'll go out there fighting for our lives."

Washington State (26-8) is considered to be a heavy underdog against the Tar Heels (32-2), but that role is nothing new to Low and his teammates. The Cougars, seeded No. 4 in the East, have withstood a surprising lack of respect despite a 52-16 record over the past two seasons, including resounding victories in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament last week.

"That's the story of Washington State," Low said. "Ever since we were there, other people have been putting us down and stuff. Yeah, obviously, this is North Carolina, they're No. 1 and they're obviously a great team.

"But you know, people said we're going to lose to Winthrop, people said we're going to lose to Notre Dame, people said we weren't going to do good in the Pac-10. But we've just gone out there despite what people said and just played our game, and it got us here to where we are now.

"And we just gotta keep playing; we can't stop here."

The challenge is enormous.

North Carolina enters today on a 13-game win streak and is coming off a 108-77 rout of Arkansas in Sunday's NCAA Tournament second round. The Tar Heels boast the Atlantic Coast Conference's Player of the Year in 6-foot-9, 250-pound junior forward Tyler Hansbrough, who averages 22.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News also named Hansbrough as their National Player of the Year.

North Carolina also has an outstanding backcourt duo in 6-4 junior Wayne Ellington (16.8 ppg) and 5-11 sophomore Ty Lawson (12.9 ppg).

As a team, the Tar Heels average 89.9 points per game and their average margin of victory is 17 points.

"It's a great challenge for our system, what we believe in, going against a team of this talent," Cougars coach Tony Bennett said. "I think it's what our guys wanted, and we'll find out if they're ready."

Low says they are.

"We're going out there to win," he said.

As much as Low knows about North Carolina, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams and guard Ellington know almost as much about Low.

Williams recruited Low heavily during his final season as Kansas' head coach in 2002-2003, first scouting him in person at a summer tournament in Las Vegas and then sending assistant Steve Robinson to watch Low play in the 'Iolani Prep Classic.

The night after Low led the Raiders to their second straight state championship in 2003, his junior year, Williams called his house and they talked for 45 minutes. About a month later, Williams left Kansas to take over at North Carolina, and he told Low the Tar Heels already had their scholarship commitments accounted for.

"I did want to play for Roy Williams, because he's a good coach, but I just wished him the best because it was his decision that he made and he thought it was best for him, so that's cool," Low said. "I wasn't really disappointed; I just moved on. It's part of life."

Besides, Low's life at Washington State has worked out pretty well, something Williams knows well. The 6-foot-2 Low leads the Cougars in scoring (14.1 ppg) and owns the school's single-season record for 3-point goals, with 90 this year.

"You know, I have followed him," Williams said. "It's strange because in high school I saw him as a point guard, and he still has those capabilities. But now he's a big-time shooter and he is more on the receiving end of those passes, and he is stepping into his shot more than I ever picked him in high school ...

"Derrick Low is a fantastic shooter, and he also can put the ball on the floor, is crafty, starts around the high screen and cuts backdoor."

Ellington, a All-ACC second-team selection, played with Low on the USA's Pan American Games team last summer.

"We watched film, also, so these guys (teammates) know what kind of player Derrick is," Ellington said. "He's hard-nosed. He's a tough player, he can shoot the ball well and he moves great without the basketball. We all know what to expect from him and we won't have any surprises."

Low, for his part, hopes the Cougars have one more surprise left in them. And as always, he will carry more than the Wazzu banner with him onto the court.

"Being a local boy from Hawai'i, there's not too many players born and raised from Hawai'i who get to play basketball at this level," Low said. "I take a lot of pride in that, because I'm not just representing myself, but I'm representing the whole state of Hawai'i and all my family back there."

CLARIFICATION: Punahou graduate Brandon Brooks was a member of the UCLA team that advanced to the 2000 Sweet 16. A story in Sunday's Advertiser did not acknowledge this achievement.

Read Wes' blog on prep sports at http://blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com