Tag: UNC Women’s Basketball

Champions line Carmichael Arena for UNC’s Alumni Day victory

Sunday’s UNC women’s hoops game honored the 1994 NCAA Championship-winning team. The current Tar Heels dominated UVA in a 13-point victory.

Sunday was exactly the type of game UNC’s women’s basketball team needed.

After losing on the road to Florida State last week, Carolina came back home to Carmichael Arena for a special game – Alumni Day.

In front of an announced crowd of 4,579, the Tar Heels dominated UVA from the opening tip for an 81-68, UNC victory.

Carolina star captains Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby were the on-court highlights, combining for 44 points on 16 game field goals and eight free throws, but the main highlights were on UNC’s guests: members of the 1994 NCAA Championship Team.

There were over 90 Tar Heel women’s hoops members in attendance, including longtime Championship-winning head coach Sylvia Hatchell, Jennifer Alley and current head coach Courtney Banghart. A halftime ceremony honored all present, with the 1994 title team introduced between the third and fourth quarters.

Heading back to the game, UNC never trailed against a Cavaliers squad that lost its fifth consecutive matchup. The Tar Heels’ most dominating quarters came in the opening and closing ones, with a 19-12 advantage after the first and 28-16 after the final frame.

“Hats off to a really good Virginia team,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart told GoHeels.com. “Those guys have had a really tough conference schedule so far, they’ve already played NC State twice, they’ve played us, they’ve played Duke, and Georgia Tech. And Camryn Taylor – hats off. She’s a hard kid to guard.”

The Tar Heels look to start another winning streak this Thursday, as they travel to Georgia Tech for a 6 p.m. tip-off. The Yellow Jackets (12-5, 3-2) are coming off an 84-46 loss at Duke.

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Two future Tar Heels nominated for All-American game

The All-American Game is the most prestigious, high school All-Star basketball game. A pair of future Tar Heel hoopsters may play in it.

Ever since the UNC women’s basketball team played UConn before Christmas, winning has been easy to come by in Chapel Hill.

Before Thursday night’s loss at Florida State, another ranked ACC program, Carolina had won five straight. The Tar Heels took down Western Carolina, Oklahoma, Clemson, plus ranked Notre Dame and Syracuse on the road.

UNC is led by star senior duo Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby, but also reinforced by a trio of transfers in Maria Gakdeng, Lexi Donarski and Indya Nivar. Kelly, Ustby, Donarski and Gakdeng all average double-digits, while Nivar just reached the 10-point mark for the second-consecutive outing.

Kelly and Ustby are graduating this Spring, while Donarski’s eligibility runs out.

What Carolina loses in these three, it gains in a pair of studs next

5-star Bianca Thomas and 4-star Jordan Zubich, UNC’s two committed recruits in the Class of 2024 cycle, were recently announced as McDonalds All-American Game nominees.

The McDonalds All-American Game, if you aren’t familiar with it, is arguably the greatest All-Star high school basketball contest.

Thomas, a star center for the Charlotte (NC) Catholic Cougars, is averaging a double-double in her senior season. Charlotte Catholic is atop the 4A Southwestern conference now with a 12-2 (5-0) record, winning its first ten games.

Zubich, a high-scoring guard for the Mountain Iron-Buhl Rangers, is averaging 26.2 points per game over her past three varsity seasons. She’s sporting a career-best 26.6 PPG this season, with her team holding a 13-2 (2-0) record barely into conference play.

The future is bright in Chapel Hill for the UNC women’s basketball program.

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UNC Women’s Basketball at Florida State: Game preview, info, prediction and more

The UNC and Florida State women’s basketball team play each other, on Thursday night, in a battle of two top teams in the ACC. Who wins?

If you’re a college basketball fan, turn your televisions to the ACC Network on Thursday night.

At 6 p.m. ET, the UNC (20) and Florida State (21) women’s basketball teams will be playing each other in a Top-25 matchup. This game pits two of the ACC’s best teams against each other, with the victor owning a tie-breaker that will prove crucial come conference tournament time.

The Tar Heels (11-4, 3-0) are winners of their past five games, starting with a 60-point drubbing of Charleston Southern and also including a pair of ranked wins – Syracuse (at the time) and Notre Dame. UNC has one of the country’s most-talented senior duos in Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby, plus a couple of key transfers in Maria Gakdeng and Lexi Donarski.

The Seminoles (13-4, 4-1), hoping to make their 11th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, are coming off a 78-72 win at Clemson on Sunday afternoon. While FSU nearly upset N.C. State in Raleigh last Thursday, the highlight of its season was a 1-point win over Tennessee in early November. The Seminoles are led by 20-point scorer Ta’Niya Latson.

If Carolina wins Thursday night, it’ll either take sole possession of first place in the ACC or stay tied with Virginia Tech. If the ‘Noles win, they could take over first place.

UNC WBB named ESPN’s Team of the Week

With wins over Notre Dame and Syracuse, which are part of a 5-game winning streak, the UNC women’s basketball team is being recognized.

Strong performances in the sports world – and the unexpected – will typically earn teams and players recognition.

We’ve seen a lot of great storylines this year across all sports – Tommy DeVito’s run as starting quarterback for the New York Giants, the Texas Rangers going from Wild Card Team to World Series Champs, the University of Texas volleyball team repeating as NCAA Champions, plus many more.

One of the great college hoops storylines is the UNC women’s basketball team. Not only are the Tar Heels ranked 20th in the latest AP Poll and on a five-game winning streak, but two of those victories have come against ranked teams (Syracuse, Notre Dame).

This recent hot spurt, which started with a 60-point victory against Western Carolina on Dec. 15 last year, has landed UNC honors for ESPN’s Team of the Week.

Carolina’s first ranked victory in this stretch came against Syracuse on Thursday, Jan. 4 in Chapel Hill, with the women in sky blue dominating then-number 25 Syracuse by 24 points. On Sunday, Jan. 7, UNC took down 2-time National Champion Notre Dame on the road.

What makes UNC’s honor even more impressive is the fact it lost guard Kayla McPherson, a key rotation player who started the Kansas State, FGCU and and South Carolina games, for the season.

How long can the Tar Heels stay hot for?

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Tar Heels back in Women’s Hoops AP Poll for Week 10

Thanks to one of the biggest upsets in women’s college hoops over the weekend, UNC jumped back into the latest AP Poll. Where did it land?

In one of the ACC’s greatest upsets this year so far, the UNC women’s basketball team took down a ranked Notre Dame squad, 61-57, on Sunday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.

Carolina (11-4, 3-0) led for most of the first half, but fell behind entering the fourth quarter. The Tar Heel defense then locked down in the fourth quarter, limiting the Fighting Irish (10-3, 1-2) to just 11 points. UNC withstood double-digit scoring performances from Sonia Citron (18), Hannah Hidalgo (17) and KK Bransford (12).

Indya Nivar (16) and Lexi Donarski (13), both offseason transfers, were the only two Tar Heels to score in double-figures. Nivar and Maria Gakdeng, the Boston College transfer, were the only two Tar Heels to shoot over 50 percent.

With its fifth-consecutive win, UNC returned to the AP Poll at 20, just a spot ahead of Florida State.

Carolina’s loss to UConn seemed to spur its hot streak, as the women in baby blue have taken down Western Carolina, Oklahoma, Clemson, Syracuse and now Notre Dame. The victory over WCU saw a 60-point spread, while UNC beat Syracuse by 24 points.

The Tar Heels get another tough test on Thursday, Jan. 11, as they travel to Tallahassee and play 21st-ranked Florida State. Carolina will try for just its third win in 10 tries against the Seminoles (8-1, 3-1).

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UNC stays hot, downs ACC power Notre on road in crucial WBB matchup

The UNC women’s basketball team continued its winning ways on Sunday, upsetting ACC power Notre by four points on Sunday afternoon.

The UNC women’s basketball team is playing its best ball as it heads into the thick of ACC play.

The ACC is loaded, with N.C. State (3), Virginia Tech (13), Louisville (17), Florida State (22) and Notre Dame (16) all ranked in the AP Poll.

UNC was ranked earlier this year, but has a great case to climb back in after its latest result.

Carolina traveled to Notre Dame, which sports one of college basketball’s premier women’s hoops programs, to shock many with a 61-57 victory on Sunday, Jan. 7.

UNC (11-4, 3-0 ACC) helped its case for an upset early on, when it outscored the fighting Irish by eight in the opening quarter. Carolina scored the game’s first basket 17 seconds in, when center Maria Gakdeng converted on a layup, then didn’t give up the lead again until the third quarter.

With UNC down 46-45 after three quarters, Indya Nivar banked in a layup just 1:30 into the final frame. The Tar Heels never trailed again and limited Notre Dame to just 11 fourth-quarter points, its lowest in a quarter this game.

Carolina overcame a poor shooting night, as Nivar and Gakdeng were the only two Tar Heels to shoot over 50 percent. Nivar led UNC with 16 points.

The Tar Heels, now tied atop the ACC with Virginia Tech, stay on the road for a ranked matchup at Florida State. Carolina and the Seminoles (12-4, 3-1) will play Thursday, Jan. 11 at 6 p.m.

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Alyssa Utsby makes UNC Women’s basketball history

UNC Women’s Basketball got a big performance from Alyssa Ustby as she made history in the win over Syracuse on Thursday.

Alyssa Ustby is having a big week. And on Thursday, she put her name into the North Carolina Tar Heels’ women’s basketball history books.

Ustby finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to record the first triple-double in program history as the Tar Heel beat No. 25 Syracuse in Carmichael Arena. The performance comes after she earned some national honors for her play last week.

Not only did she make UNC history but she also became the first player in women’s college basketball history to record 15+ points, 15+ rebounds and 10+ assists against a ranked opponent. WOW!

The Tar Heels really needed a big win on Thursday night, hosting a ranked ACC opponent and Utsby helped deliver the double-digit win.

This is not only something she can build on but the program as well as they go full steam into ACC play.

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Alyssa Ustby’s doule-double earns her National POTW honors

Alyssa Ustby is arguably the best post player on UNC’s women’s basketball team. Her double-double on New Years’ Eve gained her big honors.

Alyssa Ustby played a major role in the UNC women’s basketball team’s success last year, with it nearly upsetting Ohio State in the Round of 32.

Ustby was the featured post player on Carolina, grabbing a team high 8.3 rebounds per game, while also being one of three Tar Heels (Deja Kelly, Kennedy Todd-Williams) to average double-digit scoring.

Ustby continues to be a featured post player this season, but she now teams up with Boston College transfer Maria Gakdeng to form a formidable duo. Ustby’s best game of the year came in UNC’s 82-76, New Years’ Eve victory over Clemson, as she recorded a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double.

That stat-line was good enough for Ustby to be recognized with a prestigious honor – Player of the Week.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1p-EPUsDh3/?img_index=1

Ustby leads UNC with 8.9 rebounds per game (fifth in ACC), plus she’s second with 12.9 points per game – right behind fellow senior captain Deja Kelly. With a strong junior year also under her belt, Ustby has a solid chance to be selected high in the 2024 WNBA Draft (currently projected 17th to Washington Mystic.

Whether Ustby is scoring in the post, putting up a jump shot, pulling down a rebound, dishing out an assist or swatting away a shot, she finds numerous ways to contribute towards Carolina’s in-game success.

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How to watch Thursday’s UNC-Syracuse women’s basketball game

Here’s how you can watch Thursday’s matchup between the UNC women’s basketball program and Syracuse.

The UNC women’s basketball program will host Syracuse on Thursday night, as they look to pick up their second consecutive conference win.

UNC kicked off ACC play with an 82-76 win over the Clemson Tigers. Despite posting a 1-0 record last week, UNC slid out of the AP top 25 surprisingly. The team that replaced them in the rankings is Syracuse, making this game even more crucial for a team win.

The Tar Heels schedule gets challenging playing No. 16 Notre Dame, No. 22 FSU, and No. 17 Louisville in the upcoming weeks. There’s no denying that the ACC will be a dogfight in conference play, with many programs in the conference having championship-worthy rosters.

If UNC wants their respect in the loaded conference it starts with a win against Syracuse. UNC will have the coke court advantage, where they have a favorable 7-1 record in Carmichael Arena.

Let’s take a look at how to watch Thursday’s game.

UNC-SYRACUSE , RADIO, AND STREAMING INFORMATION

WHAT: North Carolina (9-4, 1-0ACC) vs. Syracuse (11-11, 1-0)

WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 4 at 6:00 p.m. ET

LOCATION: Carmichael Arena, Chapel Hill, NC.

TV: ESPN (Watch and stream the game live on ESPN)

SATELLITE RADIO: SiriusXM (81 or 193)

WEBSITE:  WatchESPN

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UNC women’s basketball falls out of AP Top 25

The UNC women’s basketball program surprisingly falls out of the AP Top 25 despite a win over Clemson.

The UNC women’s basketball program fell out of this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, despite their 82-76 win over Clemson.

In a surprise move, UNC goes from No.24 to being outside looking in as Syracuse moves into the top 25. The Tar Heels are 9-4 this season and had quite the schedule already with three games against top 25 schools under their belt.

Despite no longer being ranked, UNC has plenty of opportunity to regain its place in the top 25 with games against No. 25 Syracuse, No. 16 Notre Dame, No. 22 FSU, and No. 17 Louisville in the upcoming weeks. All winnable games, with Syracuse and Louisville, scheduled to be played at Carmichael Arena, where UNC has a favorable 7-1 record.

The Tar Heels this season have shown the ability to keep up with some of the best teams in the nation. They have the depth to pull off a magical run in March, but placement will be a key contributor to how far they can go.

January will be brutal, but knocking off some of these ACC schools early will be a huge momentum boost for later.

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