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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