Tag: North Carolina Tar Heels Women’s Basketball

UNC WBB starts season with a dominant victory thanks to star returners

The UNC women’s basketball team looked plenty strong in a season-opening blowout win over Charleston Southern on Monday.

Headlined by the return of 2023-2024 starters Alyssa Ustby, Maria Gakdeng and Lexi Donarski, the UNC women’s basketball team was itching to get back on the court for live game play.

North Carolina, ranked 15th in the preseason AP poll, had the first chance to prove its ranking earlier today against Charleston Southern.

After a slow start in the first quarter, the Tar Heels finally pulled away from the Buccaneers for an 83-53 victory.

UNC (1-0) and CSU had an early tip time for their season opener, with gameplay kicking off at 11 a.m.

If you were concerned about how North Carolina would gel in its first game, I don’t blame you. The Tar Heels said goodbye to leading scorer Deja Kelly in the offseason, as she transferred to Oregon. You shouldn’t feel too bad about Kelly leaving, as she recently professed how she carried the team on her back, all four years of her years in Chapel Hill.

UNC looked just fine against the Buccaneers, as Ustby, Donarski and Arizona State transfer Trayanna Crisp all scored in double-figures. Ustby led the charge with a well-rounded outing – recording 18 points, grabbing a game-high eight rebounds, dishing out four assists and adding a game-high two blocks.

I know it’s just the first game, but North Carolina showcased a potentially deep roster in the blowout win over CSU. 12 Tar Heels played, with 11 of those Tar Heels recording a minimum 10 minutes, led by 28 from Donarski.

UNC has a quick turnaround in Week One, welcoming the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks to Carmichael Arena on Thursday, Nov. 7 for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

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UNC WBB star Alyssa Ustby named to prestigious award watch list

Alyssa Ustby will be a leader on the UNC women’s basketball team this year. She gained some well-deserved preseason recognition Wednesday.

After years leading the UNC women’s basketball program alongside Deja Kelly, it’s now time for Alyssa Ustby to step up and be the captain we all known she can be.

Ustby was a double-double machine for the Tar Heels last year, recording 16 across 33 games. Ustby ended her senior year with 12.5 points and a career-best 12.5 points per game.

When Ustby announced her return for a fifth and final year, North Carolina immediately became an ACC favorite.

Ustby herself is also a favorite to earn a prestigious honor in women’s basketball, as she was recently named to the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List.

Ustby is one of 20 nominees for the Cheryl Miller Award – and one of just three from the ACC, joining NC State’s Madison Hayes and Boston College’s Andrea Daley.

Cheryl Miller is arguably one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time. She was named Naismith National Player of the Year three times in college, then led USA to Olympic Gold in 1984.

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I’m not saying Ustby is the main reason for UNC’s on-court success, but she plays a major role in it. North Carolina has made the past four NCAA Tournaments – all with Ustby on the roster – with its deepest run to the 2022 Sweet 16.

While Ustby was counted on for most of the Tar Heels’ rebounding production two seasons ago, she got some much-needed help from Maria Gakdeng in the transfer portal last year. Gakdeng will return and form a formidable post duo with Ustby this coming season, which starts on Monday, Nov. 4 against Charleston Southern.

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Where does UNC WBB land in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25?

Can the UNC women’s basketball team play up to its Way-Too-Early preseason ranking?

The UNC women’s basketball team is going to look a little different this coming season, but it’ll still be full of talent.

North Carolina said goodbye to star guard and scoring leader Deja Kelly, plus reserves Anya Poole, Alexandra Zelaya, Teonni Key and Paulina Paris, in the transfer portal. The Tar Heels will return three starters, plus they bring in several stars from the recruiting trail .

In what’s typically a deep ACC, UNC is expected to thrive in its sixth year under head coach Courtney Banghart.

North Carolina is also predicted to thrive amongst all of college basketball. Just a month ahead of their first regular season game, on Monday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. against Charleston Southern in Carmichael Arena, the Tar Heels were ranked 13th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25.

“Depth, with an interesting mix of experience and youth, should be the hallmark for the Tar Heels,” Charlie Creme wrote. “Lexi Donarski and Alyssa Ustby return for their fifth seasons, joined by 6-3 senior Maria Gakdeng and point guard Grace Townsend, a grad transfer from Richmond. Courtney Banghart added another point guard in freshman Lanie Grant, the Virginia player of the year, and 6-5 five-star recruit Blanca Thomas. The 6-4 Ciera Toomey is ready to go after redshirting last season.”

Ustby, Donarski and Gakdend are returning starters from 2023. Ustby was practically a walking double-double in 2023, averaging 12.5 points and 95 rebounds per game. Donarski is a sharpshooter, making a UNC-high 74 3-pointers last year, while Gakdeng’s 51 blocks at center led UNC.

Townsend is a do-it-all point guard, as she averaged 4.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and a career-high 13.4 points per game for Richmond during the 2023-2024 campaign.

Grant and Thomas are two of the best recruits in recent North Carolina memory. Toomey is a former Miss Pennsylvania basketball winner.

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Deja Kelly spills the tea on leaving UNC

Deja Kelly threw some shade – or did she – at her former Tar Heel teammates. Kelly will play her final season of college basketball at Oregon.

At first glance, one could link the North Carolina Tar Heels’ recent success in women’s basketball to star guard Deja Kelly.

UNC made four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances: the first round in 2021, a Sweet 16 run the following season, plus it earned spots in both the 2023 and 2024 second rounds.

Kelly increased her scoring average each season, starting at 11 points per game in 2020-2021. Kelly then averaged 16.5, 16.5 and 16.3 points per game in her succeeding seasons, proving she could be an offensive leader for North Carolina.

In the offseason, Kelly shocked Tar Heel Nation and announced she’d be transferring to Oregon. We finally learned the reason why on Tuesday:

“I was a big part of that program that’s back on the national stage, and I ultimately just carried that program on my back for four years in the most humble way,” Kelly said in a TikTok Video via Keeping It Heel. “Being a leader, a face of a program is not easy, and it comes with a lot of BS a lot of people cannot handle. So, I give kudos to myself for being able to handle all this stuff that I went through for the past four years. That position is not for everybody. I am completely confident that it has made me way stronger mentally.”

Considering how much help Kelly had over her UNC career, particularly last year with Alyssa Ustby, Lexi Donarski and Maria Gakdeng, this feels like a slap in the face. It also sounds like Kelly wanted out for a while and wasn’t a team player, which is a key part of the college game.

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Could a Top-20 recruit be headed to the UNC women’s basketball team?

Can the UNC women’s basketball program compile a convincing case to lure this top recruit in the Class of 2025?

Thanks to their rediscovered success in recent years, including four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, the North Carolina Tar Heels have become a premier destination for women’s basketball talent.

UNC can thank head coach Courtney Banghart, plus the star-powered duo of Alyssa Ustby and Deja Kelly, for that recent success.

North Carolina’s deepest run since Banghart took over came during the 2021-2022 campaign, making the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual champion South Carolina. The Tar Heels won an NCAA Tournament game in each of the past three years, with the most recent coming against Michigan State this March.

Ustby nearly averaged a double-double last season, with 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, not far above her career averages of 12 and 8.2. Kelly, now with Oregon, averaged at least 16.3 points per game in each of her past three years.

What UNC loses in Kelly, it gains in several talented freshman recruits entering the fall, highlighted by reigning Virginia Girls Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year Lanie Grant.

North Carolina is also in the mix for a Class of 2025 standout, with Top-20 recruit Jordan Speiser, a 5-star recruit and Missouri’s reigning Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year, announcing the Tar Heels as finalists.

Iowa, Kansas State and Ohio State all made the NCAA Tournament last year, highlighted by the Hawkeyes making the Title Game, before losing to South Carolina. TCU hasn’t made the Big Dance since 2010.

If  the Tar Heels land Speiser, she’d be one of their greatest recruiting victories in program history. Speiser is fresh off a dominant junior campaign, in which she registered a career-high 22.9 points per game for Lutheran St. Charles, en route to a state championship.

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UNC basketball signee Blanca Thomas invited to try out for National Team

Five-star UNC women’s basketball signee Blanca Thomas gets the opportunity of a lifetime this month.

Would you believe us if we told you next year could be even better for the UNC women’s basketball team?

Last year looked like it would be special – North Carolina returned star captains Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby, recruited the likes of starters Maria Gakdeng and Lexi Donarski in the transfer portal, while the Tar Heels upset in-state rival NC State to highlight their slate of impressive victories.

There’s no doubt this coming season is going to look different, as Kelly transferred to Oregon a few weeks back, but UNC should be ever more talented and go deeper in the NCAA Tournament.

Why is that?

North Carolina is bringing in even more transfers and two 5-star recruits – point guard Lanie Grant and center Blanca Thomas.

The latter 5-star gets to represent the Tar Heels on a national stage, as she was recently invited to try out for the USA U-18 Team.

This is a pretty exciting honor for Thomas, the 6-foot-5 star from Charlotte (NC) Catholic High School. She’ll be competing with 11 other Class of 2024 recruits, plus 14 Class of 2025 Recruits, for a USA U18 National Team spot.

When trials are done, Thomas hopes she’ll be helping the United States to their 11th-consecutive gold medal in the event.

What better tune-up for college hoops season than playing for the National Team?

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Deja Kelly confirms she will not return to Chapel Hill

Deja Kelly will not come back to the UNC women’s basketball team after all.

What Deja Kelly did for the UNC women’s basketball program over the last four years was nothing short of amazing.

The Tar Heels made the NCAA Tournament in each season and their furthest run was to the 2022 Sweet 16. Kelly was a key each year, averaging double-digit point totals and leading North Carolina in scoring.

Kelly entered the transfer portal this offseason although a glimmer of hope remained that she would return to UNC.

Those possible rumors of a return were officially shot down on Friday, May 3, as Kelly posted a heartfelt message to her X (formerly Twitter) account.

We saw Seth Trimble do something similar with the UNC men’s basketball team, though he withdrew his name from the portal and will be playing his third season in Chapel Hill.

If you had asked me a month ago about Kelly’s decision to not return, I would have thought the UNC women’s team had a much different outlook. Several players entered the transfer portal. Luckily for the Tar Heels, they were all reserves.

North Carolina is projected to have a deep roster, though, headlined by the return of star forward Alyssa Ustby. Every other starter is expected back, with Lexi Donarski also electing to use her final year of eligibility in Chapel Hill.

It’s going to be weird not seeing Kelly in Carolina Blue next season, but I wish her luck in her future.

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Alyssa Ustby announces return to UNC in nostalgia-provoking video

Good news, Tar Heel fans: Alyssa Ustby is BACK as she announced her return on Friday.

If you’ve been watching UNC women’s basketball games since the 2020-2021 campaign, then you’ve surely seen Alyssa Ustby tearng up the court.

Ustby, the senior forward from Rochester, Minn., is practically a walking double-double. She averaged 12.5 points and a career-high 9.5 rebounds per game last season, with her best outing undoubtedly being the 16-point, 16-rebound, 10-assist triple-double she recorded on Jan. 4 against Syracuse – the first triple-double in North Carolina program history.

She’s been fortunate to also have a player of Deja Kelly’s caliber by her side, with the two forming one of the ACC’s best guard-forward combos in the past few season. The duo led UNC to the Round of 32 in last year’s NCAA Tournament, but the Sweet 16 in 2022.

While Kelly might be gone next year, as she entered her name in the portal earlier this month, Ustby announced she’d be returning for her fifth and final season on Friday, April 26.

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Ustby’s announcement is a major win for the Tar Heels, who’ve already seen six players enter the transfer portal. UNC did nab a major win in the portal recently, though, snagging Grace Townsend from Richmond.

Ustby will be part of what’s expected to be a deep roster this coming fall, one that also returns starters from a season ago in 3-point machine Lexi Donarski and towering center Maria Gakdeng. Key reserves Reniya Kelly and Indya Nivar come back, as is Kayla McPherson from a knee injury, while incoming 5-stars Lanie Grant and Blanca Thomas join the roster.

Can Ustby lead the Tar Heels to the promised land in her final year?

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UNC women’s basketball team debuts in Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings

There’s a lot of promise for the UNC women’s basketball team next season, which leads to its first ESPN ranking of the offseason. Will the Tar Heels capitalize this time?

The NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship hasn’t even been over 48 hours yet, but we’re already looking ahead to next season.

South Carolina truly showed it’s among the sport’s elite programs, winning its third national championship since 2019 by distancing itself from Caitlin-Clark-led Iowa late. What made this feat all-the-more impressive was the Gamecocks replacing all five starters from a season ago, including 2023 WNBA Draft top overall pick Aaliyah Boston.

Clark will likely be joining her former opponent on the Indiana Fever next year, as barring something drastic, she’ll be going Number One overall.

Speaking of next year, South Carolina leads off ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings.

The real Carolina, North Carolina, is also part of the rankings at 14th.

“Lexi Donarski, Alyssa Ustby and Deja Kelly are not on the WNBA draft list, but they have not officially announced their intentions to return to Chapel Hill,” ESPN’s Charlie Creme said. “If they do, (UNC head coach) Courtney Banghart might have her most talented group at North Carolina. Five-star recruits 6-5 Blanca Thomas and 6-4 Ciera Toomey, who redshirted this year, are set to join the active roster and join 6-3 Maria Gakdeng on the front line. Lanie Grant, a 5-10 point guard who is the Virginia state player of the year, reclassified from the Class of 2025 to join the Tar Heels next season.”

It’s worth noting that on Monday, April 8, Kelly shocked Tar Heel Nation by entering her name in the transfer portal. She’s shined ever since stepping on campus, but maybe she just wants to test the waters.

Even if Kelly decides not to return, UNC is plenty loaded.

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Deja Kelly nabs All-America honors for third-consecutive season

What can’t Deja Kelly do? The UNC women’s basketball standout earned another honor for her career.

If there’s been one constant with the UNC women’s basketball team, it’s Deja Kelly.

The San Antonio, Texas product has played at a star level ever since stepping foot on campus, scoring at least 11 points per game in each of her first four seasons. This has translated to being North Carolina’s top scorer in the past three seasons, which have seen her scoring output elevate to 16 PPG.

Kelly’s been fortunate in leading UNC to the NCAA Tournament each year, highlighted by a Sweet 16 run in 2022. There’s a strong possibility Kelly comes back for her COVID year – could that mean greater heights in Chapel Hill.

Regardless of her decision, Kelly just earned WBCA All-America Honors for the third-consecutive season, being named Honorable Mention.

With her team-leading 16.3 points per game last year, which included 27 double-digit outings and 11 20-point games, Kelly now sits sixth on UNC’s all-time scoring list with 1,858 career points. Kelly could very well pass Ivory Latta’s program-record 2,285 points next season – assuming she uses her COVID season.

North Carolina has already seen five reserves transfer out this offseason, but starters have yet to announce a decision.

If Kelly decides to return, would she be the key for a deep NCAA Tournament run?

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