By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Before heading to Florida and tougher competition at the Gulf Coast Showcase next week, No. 17 North Carolina plays one more tuneup as the banged-up Tar Heels try to get closer to full strength.
The Tar Heels (3–0) welcome Elon at 3 p.m. Saturday (ESPN3), which is off to a 1–2 start and lost at No. 14 N.C. State at 90–35 on Wednesday.
Carolina has played with only 10 available scholarship players through the first three games. Redshirt sophomore center Teonni Key (left foot injury) has missed all three games, and senior center Anya Poole (lower-body injury) has missed the last two.
There are hopeful signs, though, as Coach Courtney Banghart said they are both day-to-day and getting close to being able to play. Redshirt sophomore guard Kayla McPherson has played limited minutes in the past two games after missing the opener (lower-body injury).
“Kayla is an easy kid to root for,” Banghart said. “She’s been injured most of her career here. And she’s totally locked in to team success the whole time.”
Banghart said that as McPherson’s minutes restrictions loosen up, she’ll play more.
“She just plays with a great joy to her game, and these guys do a good job of celebrating her,” Banghart said. “She does a lot on the side. A lot of it is working on her body while these guys get to play. A lot of things to like about Kayla on both ends of the ball.”
After going scoreless in eight minutes during the 74–70 victory over Davidson, McPherson got in for 12 minutes in Wednesday’s 62–32 win over Hampton, with five points, two assists, one steal and one rebound.
Carolina plays three games next weekend at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla., facing Vermont (Massey Ratings rank of 196) in the first round at 1:30 Friday. The Tar Heels will meet either Kansas State (22) or Western Kentucky (104) at either 11 a.m. or 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25. On Sunday, Nov. 26, UNC will play either No. 2 Iowa (7), host Florida Gulf Coast (74), Purdue Fort Wayne (192), or Delaware (195).
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Elon coach Charlotte Smith returns to Carmichael Arena, where her retired No. 23 is hanging from the rafters, with her team the heavy underdog. The Phoenix, with a Massey Ratings rank of 206, comes off a 9–21 season, which matched Elon’s lowest win total under Smith, who is in her 13th season at Elon.
Elon is picked to finish 11th in the 14-team CAA after finishing 11th last season.
The Phoenix has been without 5–11 sophomore guard Raven Preston in the first three games. She was the program’s first CAA Rookie of the Year last season and is preseason All-CAA after averaging 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds last season.
Freshman 5–4 guard Maraja Preston has led Elon this season, averaging 8.0 points and 3.3 assists per game. Freshman 6–4 center Ava Leroux is averaging 6.7 points and 3.7 rebounds and sophomore 5–3 guard Regina Walton is averaging 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds.
NOTES — The Tar Heels’ victory over Davidson (3–1) looked even better after the Wildcats won 69–62 Thursday night at Duke after also beating Wake Forest 57–52 last Saturday. … Carolina leads the all-time series with Elon 11–1, winning the last meeting 76–46 on Nov. 22, 2019. Elon’s lone victory came 83–71 on Feb. 21, 1975, during the first season Carolina recognized women’s basketball as an official varsity sport. … UNC is 36–4 in regular-season non-conference games under Banghart and 25–1 in non-conference home games. … Under Banghart, UNC is 50–11 in Carmichael Arena, 24–0 in November, 33–2 in games decided by more than 20 points and 28–1 when UNC holds its opponents to fewer than 50 points.
UNC season statistics
| Date | Day/ month | Times/ scores | Opponent/event (current rank) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |||
| 18 | Sunday | W, 76–66 | vs. Davidson | |
| 24 | Saturday | L, 72–68 | at No. 20 Maryland | |
| November | Regular season | |||
| 2 | Monday | 2:30 ET | Oui-Play in Paris vs. No. 21 Oklahoma | ESPN2 |
| 8 | Sunday | 5:30 | Ally Tipoff in Charlotte vs. No. 1 South Carolina | ESPN |
| 11 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. N.C. Central | ACCNE |
| 14 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at Penn in Palestra | ESPN+ |
| WBCA Showcase | Orlando | |||
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. Texas Tech | ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 5 p.m. | vs. Alabama | ESPN+ |
| ——— | ||||
| 24 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Gardner-Webb | ACCNE |
| 27 | Friday | 7 p.m. | vs. Army | ACCNE |
| 29 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | vs. Brown | ACCN |
| December | ||||
| 2 | Wednesday | 7:15 | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge vs. No. 9 LSU | ESPN2 |
| 6 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Elon | ACCN |
| 9 | Wednesday | 11 a.m. | vs. Winthrop | ACCNE |
| 13 | Sunday | 6 p.m. | vs. No. 25 N.C. State | ESPN |
| 17 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| 21 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Norfolk State | ACCN |
| 28 | Monday | 8 p.m. | vs. UNCW | ACCN |
| 31 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Syracuse | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Clemson | The CW |
| 7 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 10 | Sunday | 3 p.m. | at No. 7 Louisville | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 17 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | vs. Boston College | ACCN |
| 21 | Thursday | 8 p.m. ET | at California | ACCN |
| 24 | Sunday | 2 p.m. ET | at Stanford | ESPN, 2 or U |
| 28 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. No. 13 Notre Dame | ESPN |
| 31 | Sunday | 5 p.m. | vs. No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| February | ||||
| 4 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ACCNE |
| 7 | Sunday | 6 p.m. | vs. Virginia Tech | ACCN |
| 14 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at SMU | ACCNE |
| 18 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Pittsburgh | ACCN |
| 21 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Florida State | The CW |
| 25 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | vs. Virginia | ACCN |
| 28 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 3–7 | Wed.-Sun. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of the ACC
