Tag: North Carolina women’s basketball

UNC women’s basketball earn top-four seed in ESPN way-too-early bracketology

UNC women’s basketball has some high expectations says ESPN’s new way-too-early look at the NCAA Tournament bracket

With basketball just around the corner, both the men’s and women’s teams at UNC have high expectations for the season. Specifically in the release of the most recent ESPN version of the way-too-early bracket predictions, the women’s team has lofty expectations.

The Tar Heels finished last season with an 11-7 record in the conference and a 20-13 record overall for the season.

In the last NCAA Women’s Tournament, North Carolina earned a No. 8 seed and took on No. 9 seeded Michigan State and won before losing to the champion, No. 1-seeded South Carolina in the second round.

This year, ESPN projects that the women’s basketball team will land a No. 4 seed in the Albany region.

The team is returning leader and guard Alyssa Ustby who averaged 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game as a junior. Lexi Donarski is back as well as a graduate who averaged 10.5 points per game last year.

They also added the No. 32 recruit in the Class of 2024, center Blanca Thomas from Charlotte Catholic and four-star Lanie Grant from Midlothian, Virginia. This team will be one to watch this year.

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Tar Heels stand pat in latest Women’s Hoops AP Poll

UNC’s 15-point victory over UNCG on Wednesday night snapped a 3-game losing streak. On Tuesday, UNC stayed put in the latest AP Poll.

After winning their first five games of the campaign, the UNC women’s basketball team has endured an early cold streak.

Carolina lost its final two games of the Gulf Coast Showcase to Kansas State (63-56) and Florida Gulf Coast (65-64), then led top-seed South Carolina before collapsing late. All three of the Tar Heels’ losses are against strong opponents, but it hurts not coming away with a win against any of them.

Despite this stretch, UNC is still in a strong position with non-conference play wrapping up later this month.

Carolina stayed put at 24th in the latest AP Poll, one spot ahead of Penn State and a slot behind Gonzaga. With its 81-66 victory over UNCG on Wednesday night, UNC could move further up in the near future.

The Tar Heels will spend their Sunday in Connecticut, taking on one of the country’s best teams in UConn at 5 p.m. UNC will return home on Friday, Dec. 15 for an easier challenge in Western Carolina, play Oklahoma in the Jumpman Invitational on Tuesday, Dec. 19 in Charlotte, N.C., then have a 12-day break before hosting Clemson on New Years’ Eve.

This next stretch continues a tough one for UNC, as three of its next four games are against opponents with above-.500 records.

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Twitter reacts to UNC’s ACC vs. SEC matchup

Twitter reacts to UNC men’s and women’s basketball ACC vs. SEC matchups.

The North Carolina men’s basketball team will play host to Tennessee in the first season of the ACC-SEC Challenge, while the women’s basketball program opens its doors for a game against South Carolina. Both matchups have already caused quite a reaction on Twitter.

The men’s team will welcome the Volunteers into Dean E. Smith Center on Nov. 29, 2023. A day later, the women’s basketball team will host the Gamecocks. Both are prime matches that will play a role in seeding come March Madness.

Both teams enter the upcoming season with a new-look roster after the damage done by the transfer portal. The men’s team will be without arguably their most impactful player of the last few seasons, Caleb Love, and the women’s program lost its second-best scoring option, Kennedy Todd-Williams.

Despite the losses, both teams’ additions make them a threat to cut down the nets at the end of the year. Picking up a win against two top SEC schools can boost confidence and seeding when it is time.

Unsurprisingly, fans had opinions about the game announcements, their excitement and what it means for the school in the future.

Let us look at how Twitter reacted to ACC-SEC matchups.

UNC standout Destiny Adams enters the transfer portal

UNC women’s basketball forward Destiny Adams will enter the transfer portal after two seasons at North Carolina.

The transfer portal has already created shockwaves for the men’s basketball program, and Courtney Banghartt’s program is seeing the impact of the transfer portal.

Sophomore Destiny Adams entered the portal earlier this week, leaving North Carolina after just two seasons. It’s a big loss for the Tar Heels as Adams was a rising player for Banghartt’s team.

Adams came to UNC as a four-star recruit from Manchester Township High School out of New Jersey. Adams appeared in 61 games during her time at North Carolina, starting four of those games.

This season Adams saw an uptick in her minutes on the court, going from 8.3 minutes per game to 17.2, improving her shooting percentage from 42% to 45%. However, her three-point shooting struggled, converting 11 out of 42 attempts.

Adam’s best game of this season came in the third game played, where Adams finished with her career-high 23-points while tacking up eight rebounds and four steals.

The loss will be felt with Adams on the verge of becoming a starter. However, the talent coming with the culture building for the women’s program should do well, pivoting from this loss.

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Ohio State women’s basketball vs. North Carolina: How to watch, stream the game

Ohio State takes on the North Carolina Tarheels with a chance to get back to the Sweet Sixteen! #GoBucks

The Buckeyes started slowly in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before flipping a switch in the second half to beat James Madison on Saturday. The women’s basketball team now faces No. 6 seed North Carolina in the round of 32.

The Tar Heels held on for a two-point win over St. John’s on Saturday afternoon. UNC was a middle-of-the-pack team in the Atlantic Coast Conference and bowed out to Duke in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. The Heels (22-10) are led by junior guard Deja Kelly who despite her small stature leads the team in scoring at 16.3 ppg.

Even with Kelly leading the way, North Carolina is well rounded with two others averaging over 13 points per game. The Tar Heels are also a solid defensive team, holding opponents to fewer than 60 points per game.

It should be a fun one to watch as the high-powered Buckeye offense looks to bully UNC and find its way back to the Sweet 16. Here’s how to catch all the action.

Basic info

When: Monday, March 20, at 4 p.m. EDT

Where: Schottenstein Center (Columbus, Ohio)

How to watch/stream/listen:

Broadcast: ESPN

Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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Twitter reacts to UNC’s nail-biting win over St. John’s

Twitter reacts to UNC nail-biting win over St. John’s in round one of the NCAAW tournament.

The dance continues for the North Carolina women’s basketball program after they squeezed out a victory for their first tournament game.

UNC took on St. John’s, and it was a late scare for the Tar Heels but they used their defense to anchor their offense into victory. The pressure North Carolina was able to put on St. John was massive, and if they can replicate that same attack with the ball, then cutting the nets down once the tournament concludes is a true possibility.

Outside of North Carolina’s defense, the energy Tar Heel fans brought at the game and on social media was electric. In addition, the win brought out some significant reaction as fans pondered this being the year UNC would hang another banner.

Now, the Tar Heels turn their attention to No. 3 Ohio State. Both teams had similar success in starting the tournament, and it should be a blockbuster game with a similar playing style. However, before we get to that game, we look at how Twitter reacted to North Carolina’s stealing the win late against St. John’s.

UNC women’s basketball receives 6-seed in NCAA Tournament

The UNC women’s basketball program received a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play either Purdue or St. John’s in the Round of 64.

The UNC women’s basketball program received the 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tar Heels will face the play-in winner of the 11-seeds Purdue and St. John’s. UNC’s game will take place in Columbus, OH on Saturday.

If they win, they will play either 3-seed Ohio State or 14-seed James Madison in the Round of 32. UNC defeated James Madison earlier this season, 76-65.

North Carolina enters the NCAA Tournament 21-10 overall and 11-7 in the ACC. They are coming off of an ACC Tournament Quarterfinal loss to Duke.

On the season, UNC has six wins over ranked opponents.

Other notable seeds in their region include: No. 1 Virginia Tech, No. 2 UConn, No. 4 Tennessee and No. 5 Iowa State, who the Tar Heels defeated earlier this season.

Seven ACC programs made the field of 68.

South Carolina, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Stanford are the four No. 1 seeds this season.

This is the third straight season UNC has made the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Tar Heels advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to top-ranked South Carolina

Guard Deja Kelly leads a trio of double-figure scorers or the Tar Heels, averaging 16.2 points per game this season.

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UNC women to play Thursday in ACC Tournament

North Carolina women’s basketball team is scheduled to play Thursday in the ACC Tournament.

The North Carolina women’s basketball program will be in action Thursday as they compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

UNC finished the regular season with a 20-9 overall record. Seven of those nine losses came in ACC, where they finished with an 11-7 record.

North Carolina enters the ACC tournament as the seventh seed. Despite a low seeding, it is more telling about how strong the conference is than UNC plays this season. UNC not only beat the top seed in the tournament Notre Dame, but they also swept the third seed Duke Blue Devils.

North Carolina did get a high enough seed that they do not have to play on Wednesday, as they await the winner of Clemson/Pitt.

North Carolina will be at full strength heading into the postseason with star player Alyssa Utsby returning into the lineup. Utsby led the Tar Heels in rebounds this season, averaging 8.7 rebounds. In addition, star guard Deja Kelly led the team in points averaging 16.5 this season.

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UNC women’s basketball slides back into the top 20 in latest AP Poll

North Carolina back in the top 20 of this weeks AP Poll.

The North Carolina women’s basketball team is back in the top 20 of this weeks AP poll.

UNC slid up four spots in a week after splitting 1-1 in games played. The loss came against No. 8 Virginia Tech, a game that started hot for North Carolina but ended cold, losing 61-59. However, the Tar Heels bounced back in their second game, beating Duke in a low scoring 45-41 win, giving UNC a season sweep.

North Carolina is back at full strength with the return of Alyssa Ustby and the emergence of Kayla McPherson. North Carolina finished the regular season 20-9, going 11-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were most dominant at home, posting a 13-2 record in the Carmichael arena.

Next up for North Carolina is the ACC tournament. The Heels are the No. 7 team and will play the winner of Clemson/Pitt on Thursday.

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UNC women’s basketball drops out of the top 20 in latest AP Poll

North Carolina drops out of the top 20 in the latest AP Poll.

The North Carolina women’s basketball program has dropped out of the top 20 in the AP Poll after playing 1-1 in games last week.

UNC will play their two final games of the regular season this week against notable teams Virginia and Duke Blue Devils. The biggest reason for the drop is the NC State 77-66 win over UNC in overtime. Although the Wolf pack holds an 11-3 home record, they are the third unranked team that North Carolina lost to in February.

This week will significantly impact UNC’s AP poll ranking and ACC/NCAA tournament seeding.

A big help to UNC’s efforts at finishing the regular season strong is Alyssa Ustby, who hinted on Instagram that she could return after being sidelined for the last five games with an injury.

Ustby is a pivotal player in North Carolina’s rotation, and her presence has been missed, with UNC going 2-3 without her during that span. On the season, Ustby averages 13.6 points per game, leading North Carolina in rebounds with 8.9 per game.

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