Call it a hiccup. Maybe a bad dream. Or perhaps the first time coach Bobby Lutz has needed a mulligan.

But last season can't be ignored. The 49ers played well below expectations, plummeting to the program's first losing season since 1995-96 and only its second in 18 years. Just when Charlotte had scratched .500, the 49ers scored 39 points in a loss to Saint Louis, were beaten by 41 on the road at Louisville, then got drubbed by UAB in the first round of the Conference USA tournament.

There's every indication that Charlotte will greatly improve this season, maybe even to a championship level. The 49ers are loaded in the backcourt. They have inside strength like never before. Most of all, they have quality depth.

"It's depth at every position," Lutz said. "We really have a lot of options now. We've won the [C-USA] tournament, but we've never won the regular season. This is the type of team that can get right back in the [C-USA] top four."

FRONTCOURT

Lutz doesn't want expectations to soar through the roof, but it's difficult to downplay the potential of freshman center Martin Iti. "He needs to get stronger, but defensively, he's ready to play right now," Lutz said. "Offensively, he has a ways to go. But the fact is, we've never really had a guy with his kind of size and agility."

At worst, Iti will be an immediate shot-blocking and rebounding presence. He should allow the other 49ers to play a more daring brand of defense. Iti also has a willing mentor in senior Calvin Clemmons, a bit undersized at center but strong enough to compensate.

The swingman, junior Eddie Basden, shows flashes of being special. Primarily known for his defense, Basden led the 49ers in rebounding and had a team-high 61 steals -- the highest individual total at Charlotte since 1991. His offensive strength is going to the glass, but his mid-range jumper is coming along.

Sophomore power forward Curtis Withers, one of the league's all-freshman selections last season, is a decent inside player who is able to help on the boards. The 49ers have added enviable inside depth with junior college transfers Dedric Spooner and C.J. Pigford. And they received a late boost in mid-summer when Kevin 'Butter' Johnson, a valuable reserve who had announced plans to transfer, received Lutz's permission to return to the team.

BACKCOURT

Here is the dilemma facing Charlotte opponents: They can't double-team senior Demon Brown and junior Brendan Plavich. More than likely, one of them will get a good look at the basket. And if that happens, more than likely, you can mark down three points in the scorebook.

Even in some of last season's devilishly gruesome moments, Brown remained an arc-angel. His 137 3-pointers demolished the school and C-USA records while ranking second in the NCAA. Brown's marksmanship and energy are perhaps the team's most formidable weapons. So why change anything? Because the 49ers could be even better. "We need Demon to be more of a point guard," Lutz said, and that's where Brown played his first two seasons. "Really, we might be playing with two shooting point guards."

The backcourt looks interchangeable. Lutz wants Plavich, a transfer from Vanderbilt, to settle into a shooting guard role, but his ball-handling is effective, too. His shooting stroke is strictly lights-out. As a sophomore at Vanderbilt, Plavich led the SEC in 3-point accuracy (44.2 percent). He also brings loads of intangibles. Perhaps that's why he has been named a co-captain despite not having played a game for Charlotte.

The 49ers have yet another zone-buster in junior Chris Sager, who dropped in 21 points against Temple and 14 at Indiana. He was derailed by a bout with mononucleosis, though, and never fully recovered after missing five games of C-USA play. Sophomore Mitchell Baldwin, a standout defender and press-breaker, returns as a reserve point guard.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Charlotte appears to have all the necessary ingredients -- size, outside shooting, defensive ability and athleticism. The 49ers also have an X-and-O master in Lutz, who possesses the most attractive options in his head coaching career. So what's missing?

"We've got to get our old attitude back," Lutz said. "There's such a fine line. Really, we weren't far away from winning 18 games last season. But you've got to find a way to win those games. The talent is there for us. My challenge is finding the right combinations."

Last season's misery is history. As for this season? Charlotte's material and its potential rarely have looked finer.

• Click here for complete index of 2003-04 team previews

To purchase the 2003 College Basketball Preview from Athlon Sports, click here.