By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina’s No. 16-ranked women’s basketball team faces the toughest of four non-conference home opponents to start the season on Sunday.
But Davidson will also be playing on consecutive days, and must deal with the inside challenge of going up against junior Boston College transfer center Maria Gakdeng.
The Tar Heels, who rolled to a 102–49 opening-game victory Wednesday over Gardner-Webb, welcome Davidson to Carmichael Arena at 6 p.m. (ACC Network).
The Wildcats have a quick turnaround after beating Wake Forest 57–52 at home on Saturday afternoon. The Deacons’ Elise Williams missed a potential tying 3-point attempt with two seconds left. Davidson (2–0), which went 14–16 last season, blew out USC Upstate in its opener on Tuesday 86–51.
In UNC’s opening-game victory, Gakdeng showed she could be a huge force inside once she adjusts to her new team.
“She’s got a gentle soul,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. “So, sometimes we want her to be a little bit more assertive. I think that comes with time.
“I think the undertold story of transferring is you have a whole adjustment to make,” Banghart said. “She is still adjusting to what we want her to do and how we want to play. It’s all there, and we are urging her along. She has great length. She’s got great hands, very soft touch, can block shots. I think that will continue to evolve in her game.”
On Sunday, she’ll battle Elle Sutphin, a 6–3 redshirt senior former N.C. State center who averaged 16.4 points last season and is averaging 16.0 through two games this season. Sutphin, who scored a game-high 18 points against Wake Forest, was at N.C. State for two seasons but only played in the 2020–21 season, averaging 8.1 minutes and 2.1 points. This is her third season at Davidson.
“Maria gives us a great presence,” Banghart said. “As she works through her transition, she’ll really help us.”
In her Carolina debut, Gakdeng nearly scored a point a minute with 13 points and six rebounds in 15 minutes.
At No. 141, Davidson has the highest Massey Ratings rank of Carolina’s first four opponents, with Hampton (which visits UNC at 11 a.m. Wednesday) at 290 and Elon (which plays at Carmichael Arena at 3 p.m. next Saturday) at 258.
Elon (1–1) blew out Gardner-Webb (0–2; Massey Ratings rank of 227) on the road Saturday 90–69 after losing at home Monday to East Carolina 68–37.
Wednesday’s game in Chapel Hill will be Hampton’s second after losing 76–46 at Providence on Tuesday.
Davidson finished 11th in the 15-team Atlantic 10 last season and is picked to finish seventh this season.
Davidson returns eight players and 90% of its scoring from last season, led by Sutphin and fifth-year 5–10 Australian guard Suzi-Rose Deegan, who averaged 13.9 points last season and is averaging 12.5 points through two games.
NOTES — UNC has won all four meetings with Davidson, the last a 70–59 victory in Chapel Hill in the opener of the 2012–13 season. The first meeting was in Carolina’s first season under the Department of Athletics on Feb. 15, 1975. … Laura Barry, a reserve for Carolina from 2007 to 2009 who was part of the 2007 Final Four team, joined the Davidson staff as an assistant coach in August. … Class of 2024 recruits Blanca Thomas, a 6–5 center from Charlotte who ESPN ranks No. 30 in the class, and Jordan Zubrich, a 5–11 guard from Mountain Iron, Minn., signed letters of intent with UNC on Wednesday.
| Date | Day/month | Score | Opponent/event (current rank) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | ||||
| 8 | Wednesday | W, 102–49 | vs. Gardner-Webb | 1–0 |
| 12 | Sunday | W, 74–70 | vs. Davidson | 2–0 |
| 15 | Wednesday | W, 62–32 | vs. Hampton | 3–0 |
| 18 | Saturday | W, 68–39 | vs. Elon | 4–0 |
| Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. | ||||
| 24 | Friday | W, 54–51 | Vermont | 5–0 |
| 25 | Saturday | L, 63–56 | No. 15 Kansas State | 5–1 |
| 26 | Sunday | L, 65–64 | Florida Gulf Coast | 5–2 |
| ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 65–58 | vs. No. 1 South Carolina | 5–3 |
| December | ||||
| 6 | Wednesday | W, 81–66 | vs. UNC Greensboro | 6–3 |
| Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase in Uncasville, Conn. | ||||
| 10 | Sunday | L, 76–64 | No. 10 Connecticut | 6–4 |
| ——————— | ||||
| 15 | Friday | W, 96–36 | vs. Western Carolina | 7–4 |
| Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte | ||||
| 19 | Tuesday | W, 61–52 | No. 18 Oklahoma | 8–4 |
| ACC season | ||||
| 31 | Sunday | W, 82–76 | vs. Clemson | 9–4, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 75–51 | vs. No. 22 Syracuse | 10–4, 2–0 ACC |
| 7 | Sunday | W, 61–57 | at No. 9 Notre Dame | 11–4, 3–0 ACC |
| 11 | Thursday | L, 70–62 | at Florida State | 11–5, 3–1 ACC |
| 14 | Sunday | W, 81–68 | vs. Virginia | 12–5, 4–1 ACC |
| 18 | Thursday | W, 73–68 | at Georgia Tech | 13–5, 5–1 ACC |
| 21 | Sunday | W, 79–68 | vs. No. 23 Louisville | 14–5, 6–1 ACC |
| 25 | Thursday | W, 66–61 | vs. Miami | 15–5, 7–1 ACC |
| 28 | Sunday | L, 81–66 | at Virginia | 15–6, 7–2 ACC |
| February | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | L, 63–59 | at No. 11 N.C. State | 15–7, 7–3 ACC |
| 4 | Sunday | L, 70–61, OT | vs. No. 13 Virginia Tech | 15–8, 7–4 ACC |
| 11 | Sunday | L, 68–60, OT | at Duke | 15–9, 7–5 ACC |
| 15 | Thursday | W, 75–62 | vs. Pittsburgh | 16–9, 8–5 ACC |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 58–50 | at Wake Forest | 17–9, 9–5 ACC |
| 22 | Thursday | W, 80–70 | vs. No. 11 N.C. State | 18–9, 10–5 ACC |
| 25 | Sunday | L, 74–62 | at No. 13 Virginia Tech | 18–10, 10–6 ACC |
| 29 | Thursday | L, 78–74 | at Boston College | 18–11, 10–7 ACC |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Sunday | W, 63–59 | vs. Duke | 19–11, 11–7 ACC |
| ACC tournament Greensboro Coliseum | ||||
| 7 | Thursday | L, 60–59 | Second round: vs. Miami | 19–12 |
| NCAA tournament Columbia, S.C. | ||||
| 22 | Friday | W, 59–56 | First round: Michigan State | 20–12 |
| 24 | Sunday | L, 88–41 | Second round: No. 1 South Carolina | 20–13 |
Potential UNC 2024–25 roster
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | — | Lanie Grant (5 star) | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | — | Blanca Thomas (5 star) | C | 6–5 | |
| Freshman | — | Jordan Zubich (4 star) | G | 5–11 | |
| RS Freshman | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS Freshman | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Sophomore | 10 | Reniya Kelly | PG | 5–7 | |
| Sophomore | 15 | Sydney Barker | PG | 5–6 | |
| RS Junior | 11 | Kayla McPherson | PG | 5–8 | |
| Junior | 24 | Indya Nivar | G | 5–10 | |
| Senior | 5 | Maria Gakdeng | C | 6–3 | |
| Graduate | — | Grace Townsend | G | 5–5 | |
| Graduate | 20 | Lexi Donarski | G | 6–0 | |
| Graduate | 1 | Alyssa Ustby | F | 6–1 |
2023–24 UNC players to enter transfer portal
| Class | Player | Date entered | Pos. | Hgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | Paulina Paris | March 26 | G | 5–9 | Arizona |
| Graduate | Ali Zelaya | April 1 | F | 6–4 | UNCW |
| Graduate | Anya Poole | April 1 | F | 6–2 | TBA |
| RS junior | Teonni Key | April 2 | F | 6–4 | Kentucky |
| Sophomore | RyLee Grays | April 5 | F | 6–3 | TBA |
| Graduate | Deja Kelly | April 8 | G | 5–8 | TBA |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
tarheeltribune.com 
