Alyssa Ustby or Michael Jordan?
Courtney Banghart was a bit worried Thursday morning.
With a showdown at home against No. 13 Duke looming, the coach of the No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels got a text hours before the contest that said one of her most important players – leading rebounder Alyssa Ustby – was hooked to an IV.
“And I was like, ‘Oh, God,’” Banghart said.
Ustby had tested negative for COVID and strep throat, but was still feeling very under the weather. But nothing was going to stop the junior forward from playing in a game of this magnitude – a ranked matchup with UNC’s bitter Tobacco Road rivals.
“There was just no option for me,” Ustby said. “I’m not missing out on an opportunity to beat Duke, and just an opportunity to play with my teammates. There’s nothing like it and I’m not going to take a moment of it for granted. So, if I can get healthy and I can play, I’m going to play.”
And so, Ustby played against Duke, and wound up being a key factor in the Tar Heels’ 61-56 victory Thursday night in front of a packed crowd in Chapel Hill’s Carmichael Arena – one that included more than 1,500 students, the most ever in the arena’s history. Ivory Latta, Jessica Breland and rapper Trinidad James were there too.
But Ustby didn’t just simply take the floor against Duke; she played 39 minutes, more than anyone else on either team. The 6-foot-1 forward from Rochester, Minnesota scored 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting and also had five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“Definitely my version of a ‘Flu Game’,” Ustby said with a laugh, responding to a reporter who compared her to Tar Heel legend Michael Jordan. “Just trying to get as many assists, steals, being active, just doing the things that I do every day. Those are the stuff I’m going to bring whether I have the flu or not… I feel like I can run for days.”
She added: “I think my role was just making sure that Duke’s defense knew that I was making a presence everywhere I was. Whether that was sending a contact ball screen, rolling down to the block, posting somebody… Just trying to make everybody’s job a little bit easier is the role that I love to fill.”
Ustby has been a key player for the Tar Heels all season long, averaging 13.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per game, doing a little bit of everything for Banghart’s squad. According to HerHoopStats, Ustby is also 27th in the nation in defensive win-shares this season with 2.1. And so far in ACC play, she’s 12th in PER with a mark of 23.8.
Last Sunday, Ustby grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds to help the Tar Heels beat then-ranked No. 11 N.C. State. These past two games mark the first time – ever – that UNC has beaten N.C. State and Duke in back-to-back games when both were ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll.
“We just got a bunch of gamers,” Banghart said. “I saw (Ustby) a couple hours later (after the IV), and I was like, ‘We’re alright. She’ll be alright.’”
After an 0-3 start in ACC play, UNC has now won four straight games. Should the Heels stack up more wins and keep improving their resume, they could be hosting opening weekend NCAA Tournament games for the first time since 2015. And Ustby will be a big reason why.
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