The University of North Carolina women’s basketball team came within a couple points of upsetting Ohio State and moving onto the Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA tournament.
Carolina clawed back from a double-digit deficit to take a late lead, only for Ohio State’s Jacy Shelton to sink a game-winner with seconds remaining and ending all hope for Tar Heels fans. The third-seeded Buckeyes won, 71-69.
This year, UNC is hoping to finally make a push for the Sweet 16 and possibly more. It’d be a fourth-straight NCAA appearance, something not done since a string of eight straight from 2002-2009.
The Heels will be tested early in the season, as they head to Florida’s Gulf Coast over Thanksgiving Weekend for the Clean Simple Eats Gulf Coast Showcase from Friday, Nov. 24-Sunday, Nov. 26.
Carolina’s first matchup of the 3-day Holiday tournament is against Vermont (Friday, Nov. 24 at 1:30 p.m.). This is the two teams’ first time playing each other. Vermont, which won the America East Conference Tournament last year, lost to national power UConn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Also in the field is Kansas State and Western Kentucky, Florida Gulf Coast, Delaware, Iowa and Purdue-Fort Wayne. Iowa lost in the 2023 NCAA Championship game to Angel Reese-led LSU.
Carolina, led by two All-ACC selections in Deja Kelly and Alyssa Utsby, will almost certainly be tested in this early-season tourney.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.