Tag: UNC Women’s Basketball

UNC WBB’s early-season dominance matches record from 2013-2014 season

The UNC women’s basketball team won 10 non-conference games this season.

If you haven’t started watching the UNC women’s basketball team yet this season, you’re missing out.

North Carolina is 12-2 through Christmas week, with its lone losses coming to ranked UConn and Georgia Tech squads. The Tar Heels dominated the non-conference portion of their schedule, going 10-1 and ending non-ACC play with a dominant win over UNC-Greensboro.

What you may not know about UNC’s hot start, though, is it matches a record from 11 years ago.

North Carolina’s 10 non-conference victories this season are the most since 2013-2014, when it recorded 12. That 2013-2014 campaign was a special one for the Tar Heels, who made their seventh Elite Eight appearance in program history.

UNC started its year with a dominant, 83-53 victory over Charleston Southern on November 4 inside Carmichael Arena. Three days later, North Carolina beat UNC-Wilmington by 27. The Tar Heels played their first road game on Tuesday, Nov. 12 and, after a slow start, beat North Carolina A&T 66-47.

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UNC will not play anymore non-conference games this season, but instead continue ACC play against Miami (FL) on Sunday, December 29 at 4 p.m. ET. The Hurricanes (11-1, 1-0 ACC) are part of a loaded conference this year, as all ACC teams but Syracuse have a winning record.

We’ll learn a lot about North Carolina as it head into conference play, but I feel confident saying the Tar Heels are much-improved this year. UNC hung tight with Georgia Tech and despite struggling against UConn, made things interesting late.

Will North Carolina be standing atop the ACC once March rolls around? Can the Tar Heels make another deep NCAA Tournament run?

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Two dominant victories help UNC WBB climb two spots in latest AP Poll

Where did the UNC women’s basketball team land in the latest AP Poll?

If you haven’t watched the UNC women’s basketball team play yet this season, I highly suggest you start now.

North Carolina (9-1) is in the midst of a 6-game winning streak, with its latest victory coming Sunday against Coppin State (72-46). The Tar Heels are showcasing their depth in each game, sometimes rolling as deep as 10 players, while new players are quickly filling the shoes of transfer portal departures.

As a result of their recent success, UNC climbed to 14th in the latest AP Poll, a spot between Big 12 programs Kansas State (13th) and West Virginia (15th). North Carolina was 16th in the previous AP Poll, beginning the Week of Monday, Dec. 2.

Before beating Coppin State on Sunday, the Tar Heels overwhelmed a ranked Kentucky squad, 72-53, on Wednesday during the ACC-SEC Challenge in Chapel Hill. UNC’s current winning streak started back on Saturday, November 23 against Ball State in the Battle 4 Atlantis – and includes a championship victory against Indiana.

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North Carolina’s only loss on the season came to UConn, a National Championship contender led by All-Star Paige Bueckers, back on Nov. 15 in Greensboro, N.C. The Tar Heels’ additional victories include Charleston Southern, UNC-Wilmington, North Carolina A&T, Villanova and North Carolina Central.

UNC is led by fifth-year star forward Alyssa Ustby, who averages 11.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. North Carolina’s roster also includes a pair of returning starters in guard Lexi Donarski and center Maria Gakdeng, several offseason transfers headlined by Trayanna Crisp, plus star freshmen like 5-star Blanca Thomas.

The Tar Heels can become just the fourth women’s basketball program to reach double-digit wins on Wednesday, Dec. 11, when it welcomes in-state opponent UNC-Greensboro to Carmichael Arena.

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UNC WBB dominates Coppin State on Sunday afternoon, wins sixth-straight

Watch out for the UNC women’s basketball team.

The UNC women’s basketball team continues to prove why it should be seriously considered as one of the country’s best.

North Carolina’s early-season dominance continued on Sunday afternoon inside Carmichael Arena, as it stomped Coppin State, 72-46.

UNC (9-1) scored 46 points alone in the first half, 23 in both the first and second quarters, which ended up being the visiting Eagles’ (6-5) point total.  North Carolina cooled off a bit in the second half, totaling just 26 points (14 in the third quarter, 12 in the fourth), but Coppin State wasn’t able take advantage.

All 13 players on the Tar Heels’ roster saw game action Sunday, with guard Indya Nivar playing a team-high 22 minutes. Maria Gakdeng, UNC’s star center who missed several games earlier this season with injury, was one of 12 Tar Heels to score. Gakdeng turned in a game-high 10 points.

North Carolina dominated Coppin State in virtually every area, but most notably in 3-point percentage, rebounds, assists and points in the paint.

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The Tar Heels shot 46.2 percent from the perimeter, an encouraging sign considering their struggles earlier this season. Lexi Donarski, arguably UNC’s best 3-point shooter, went 3-of-5 from deep.

North Carolina used height to its advantage, out-rebounding Coppin State 49-37. Nivar, Blanca Thomas and Trayanna Crisp each grabbed six boards. The Tar Heels also carried a 22-8 points in the paint advantage.

UNC dished out 18 assists to the visiting Eagles’ six. Nivar and Alyssa Ustby each recorded three assists.

North Carolina will stay home for two more games this week, facing UNC-Greensboro on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. and Georgia Tech on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. in its ACC opener.

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UNC WBB dominates Kentucky from start to finish in ACC-SEC Challenge

The UNC women’s basketball team passed its ACC-SEC Challenge test with little resistance Thursday night.

Watch out, college basketball world. The UNC women’s basketball team is red hot – and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

16th-ranked North Carolina welcomed an undefeated, 14th-ranked Kentucky squad to Carmichael Arena on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels entered winning their past four, while the Wildcats were fresh off a ranked victory over Illinois on Wednesday, November 27.

When the buzzer sounded in Chapel Hill on Thursday night, UNC extended its winning streak to five games and left its home court with a massive, 72-53 victory.

North Carolina (8-1) dominated Kentucky (7-1) in virtually every aspect, but truly made a difference in the paint, with the Tar Heels outscoring the Wildcats 42-10. UNC did this without star freshman Blanca Thomas, who didn’t play for an undisclosed reason.

Reniya Kelly led North Carolina with 18 points and six assists, while Alyssa Ustby poured in 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but Thursday was all about Tar Heels center Maria Gakdeng.

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Playing in her fourth and final collegiate season, Gakdeng scored her 1,000th point in UNC’s big victory. In her fifth start of the year, Gakdeng scored 16 points and led her North Carolina teammates with nine rebounds.

If you watched Thursday’s matchup, you likely saw a former Tar Heel in Kentucky Blue. Teonni Key, the 6’4″ forward who played her first two seasons at UNC, scored seven points and pulled down eight rebounds.

North Carolina had a scoring advantage in the first (21-16), second (15-9) and fourth (22-14) quarters. The Wildcats and Tar Heels each scored 14 points in the third quarter.

Through nine games, North Carolina is tied with California for second in the ACC. With five straight wins and a deeper, talented roster compared to last season, UNC is looking like one of the best early-season teams in college basketball.

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Tar Heels women’s basketball clashes with Indiana in Battle 4 Atlantis Championship

UNC women’s basketball will play for a championship tomorrow vs Indiana in the Bahamas!

The North Carolina Tar Heels women’s basketball team heads into this week with just one loss under its belt against the No. 2 ranked team in the country, UConn, by just 11 points two weeks ago.

After not playing a game last week, they headed to Nassau, Bahamas, this weekend for an in-season tournament that would test their resilience, durability, and perseverance in an eight-team tournament.

They matched up with Ball State in the tournament’s opening game, winning by 11 points. Lanie Grant led all Tar Heel scorers in the game with 15 points and two rebounds off the bench on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc.

Alyssa Ustby had 12 points and 11 rebounds, in the game’s only double-double, with three assists to pair.

Heading to the semifinals, they took on Villanova in a game that was never really a game. They jumped out to a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, eventually winning by 17 points.

Ustby led all scorers in the game with 14 points and 14 rebounds in a monstrous double-double. Lexi Donarski tied Ustby with 14 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 2-for-5 from behind the arc.

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In this championship game, they will face off against Lilly Meister and Indiana. Meister is averaging 13.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for the team. She is not the only contributor, however, with Shay Ciezki dropping 34 points in their semifinal matchup.

North Carolina will face off against Indiana in the Bad Boy Mowers Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis at noon on Monday, airing on ESPN2.

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Alyssa Ustby, lockdown defense help UNC WBB advance

The UNC women’s basketball team is playing for a tournament championship on Monday.

Just three weeks into its basketball season, the UNC women’s basketball team will be playing in a championship game.

Thanks to a 53-36 victory over Villanova on Sunday, North Carolina advanced to the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game.

The Tar Heels will be facing Indiana at 12 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25. UNC previously beat Ball State on Saturday, while the Hoosiers emerged victorious against Columbia and Baylor.

In North Carolina’s Sunday semifinal victory, players turned in their best defensive performance through six games.

The Tar Heels limited Villanova to 36 points, the Wildcats’ lowest in a game this year and lowest output by a UNC opponent, on just 23.5% field goal shooting. Villanova scored just seven points in the opening quarter and five in the third, while North Carolina’s lowest quarter output was nine in the fourth.

The Tar Heels weren’t lighting it up from the field, but their offense shot a respectable 40 percent.

Alyssa Ustby was UNC’s undisputed star, recording a double-double with 14 points and rebounds apiece. This was Ustby’s highest rebound total in a game this year, plus her second-consecutive game with one, as Ustby notched a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double against Ball State.

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Lexi Donarski joined Ustby in double-figures, scoring 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. 10 different Tar Heels played, with Ustby, Donarski, Indya Nivar and Lanie Grant all recording a minimum 20 minutes.

With the exception of a Friday, Nov. 15 loss against UConn, North Carolina is playing great basketball right now. UNC is ranked, 5-1 to start the season and has a golden opportunity to bring hardware back to Chapel Hill.

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Courtney Banghart and Alyssa Ustby notch milestones

UNC’s Battle 4 Atlantis-opening victory included a couple historical milestones from its head coach and star forward.

Saturday was a pretty special day for the UNC women’s basketball program, which kicked off its journey through the Battle 4 Atlantis.

North Carolina used a 19-point first quarter to create some needed breathing room against Ball State, later beating the Cardinals by a 63-52 margin. The Tar Heels advanced to play Villanova in Sunday’s semifinal matchup, but in the process of Saturday’s victory, they notched a historical market for their head coach.

Courtney Banghart, who took over UNC ahead of the 2019 season, recorded her 100th victory in Chapel Hill with her team’s win over Ball State.

Banghart wasn’t the only Tar Heel to record a milestone, as star forward Alyssa Ustby also snagged her 1000th career rebound.

When Sylvia Hatchell resigned after North Carolina’s 2018-2019 campaign, which included the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament in four seasons, North Carolina didn’t have to wait long to find Banghart. UNC went out and hired the longtime Princeton head coach in Banghart, who led her Tiger teams to eight NCAA Tournaments and two Ivy League tournament titles.

The Tar Heels have made the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive seasons under Banghart, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in the 2021-2022 campaign.

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Ustby is one of the most loyal Tar Heels you’ll ever set eyes on, as she’s now playing her fifth season in Chapel Hill. UNC’s win over Ball State was easily Ustby’s best of her final year in Carolina Blue, as she recorded her first double-double of the season, with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ustby has career averages of 12.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, which will only increase as she continues balling out this year.

North Carolina is extremely lucky to have a head coach of Banghart’s caliber – and a player of Ustby’s.

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UNC WBB stays put in latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches’ Poll

Check out where the UNC women’s basketball team landed in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches’ Poll.

The UNC women’s basketball team is still trying to discover its identity through its first four games of the season.

North Carolina beat the teams it should’ve: Charleston Southern, UNC-Wilmington and North Carolina A&T, but struggled early against A&T. The Tar Heels gave second-ranked UConn a good fight, but lost 69-58, falling victim to a big game from Paige Bueckers.

Even with its first loss of the season, UNC stayed put at 15th in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches’ Poll.

North Carolina remained a spot above Kentucky, despite the Wildcats being 5-0, plus a spot behind archrival Duke.

The Tar Heels are off until Saturday, Nov. 23, when they’ll play Ball State in Bahamas’ annual Battle 4 Atlantis. If UNC beats the Cardinals, it’ll take on the winner of Texas A&M and Villanova.

Rank School (Record) Points First Place Votes
1 South Carolina (4-0) 747 28
2 Connecticut (3-0) 716 1
3 Southern California (4-0) 684 1
4 Texas (3-0) 656 –
5 Notre Dame (4-0) 630 –
6 UCLA (4-0) 600 –
7 LSU (5-0) 556 –
8 Iowa State (4-0) 535 –
9 Oklahoma (3-0) 517 –
10 Kansas State (4-0) 477 –
11 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) 425 –
12 West Virginia (4-0) 411 –
13 Maryland (5-0) 401 –
14 Duke (4-1) 325 –
15 North Carolina (3-1) 277 –
16 Kentucky (5-0) 272 –
17 Baylor (3-1) 251 –
18 North Carolina State (2-2) 247 –
19 Nebraska (4-0) 183 –
20 Ole Miss (3-1) 145 –
21 Alabama (6-0) 138 –
22 Louisville (2-2) 113 –
23 Illinois (4-0) 110 –
24 TCU (4-0) 92 –
25 Oregon (24-10) 66 –

North Carolina’s greatest storyline heading into the season was how it’d adjust to life without Deja Kelly, the former star guard who transferred to Oregon. The Tar Heels definitely miss Kelly’s scoring production, but they have plenty of other stars on their roster.

Star forward Alyssa Ustby is off to a slow start, averaging just 8.8 points per game, but she’ll come around soon. Lexi Donarski gives UNC a great perimeter threat again, while Indya Nivar’s return will certainly boost North Carolina’s in-game performance.

Once the Tar Heels starting clicking on all cylinders, they’ll be a tough out in the ACC.

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UNC women’s basketball loses ranked battle with Paige Bueckers and the Connecticut Huskies

UNC women’s basketball lost for the first time this season on Friday night, dropping a ranked battle against Paige Bueckers and UConn.

After three straight wins to open the 2024-25 women’s basketball season, the North Carolina Tar Heels ended up on the wrong side of a Friday night battle against No. 2 Connecticut.

The Huskies pulled away for a convincing 69-58 victory thanks to 29 points from star senior Paige Bueckers.

The Tar Heels beat Charleston Southern, UNC Wilmington, and North Carolina A&T all by at least 19 points to jump over the Blue Devils in the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll, but they never stood a chance on Friday.

Bueckers scored five points in the first 90 seconds, and the Huskies led 25-14 after the opening 10 minutes. She finished the game with four rebounds and assists apiece, and freshman Sarah Strong (a North Carolina native) tacked on 14 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists in the dominant display.

UNC and Duke face off for the first time in Chapel Hill on January 9th before a battle in Durham on February 27.

UNC WBB lands three Class of 2025 prospects on National Signing Day

National Signing Day proved to be a massive win for the UNC women’s basketball program.

The UNC women’s basketball program, particularly in recent seasons, is starting to show why it’s a destination for top high school recruits.

North Carolina landed 5-stars Blanca Thomas and Lanie Grant in its 2024 recruiting class, 5-star Cierra Toomey in its 2023 recruiting class, plus 5-star transfers Lexi Donarski and Indya Nivar in that same 2023 class.

On Wednesday, Nov. 13, better known as National Signing Day, the Tar Heels continued adding more top-end talent.

Taliyah Henderson and Nyla Brooks, a pair of 5-star small forwards and Taissa Queiroz, a 4-star small forward, all officially signed to play their college basketball in Chapel Hill.

Henderson is Arizona’s top-ranked player in the 2025 recruiting class. According to her 247Sports recruiting profile, she chose UNC over the likes of Maryland, Ohio State and national power Tennessee.

Brooks is Virginia’s top-ranked 2025 prospect. According to her 247Sports recruiting profile, Brooks chose North Carolina over Maryland, Georgia and Tennessee. Brooks actually de-committed from Tennessee to choose the Tar Heels, a sign that something promising is happening in Chapel Hill.

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Taissa Queiroz plays her high school ball at Cardinal Newman in Santa Rosa, Calif. Queiroz has spent time with the Brazil National Team, exposing herself to top talent from around the world.

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The Tar Heels roster will look significantly different during the 2025-2026 campaign, highlighting why their signing of Henderson, Brooks and Queiroz is ever-more important.

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Grace Townsend, Maria Gakdeng, Alyssa Ustby and Donarski, the latter three of whom are starters, will be out of eligibility. UNC has plenty other projected returners, highlighted by Toomey, Thomas, Trayanna Crisp and Reniya Kelly, but knowing they have more great incoming talent is a huge relief.

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