By R.L. Bynum
Motivation should come easy for North Carolina’s women’s basketball team on Thursday when the Tar Heels welcome Syracuse to Carmichael Arena and continue to attempt to prove the doubters wrong.
Despite winning their only game last week, the ACC opener against Clemson 82–76, the previously No. 24 Tar Heels fell out of the AP Top 25 for the first time after 33 consecutive weeks in the poll.
If Syracuse hadn’t upset Notre Dame 86–81 at home last week, the Orange probably wouldn’t have debuted in the poll at No. 25, and the Tar Heels (9–4, 1–0 ACC) would probably still be ranked. A victory over the Orange (11–1, 1–0) and a good showing Sunday at Notre Dame (9–2, 0–1) would likely return UNC to the poll.
The 6 p.m. game (ESPN3) will be Syracuse’s first road game on an opponent’s home court this season. Sunday game will be UNC’s first on an opponent’s home court.
Carolina senior wing Alyssa Ustby says consistency will be the key to the Tar Heels being a factor in the ACC race.
“It’s really all about stacking days,” she said. “So, stacking practices and then focusing on the next game, not looking too far ahead.”
After seeing Notre Dame fall to Syracuse, she knows that UNC can’t take any team lightly.
“Any team can beat anyone in the ACC, and that’s just how competitive [it is] and speaks to how good our conference is,” she said.
For the second consecutive game, UNC will deal with a team that plays an aggressive zone defnse, so experiencing that against the Tigers should be helpful.
UNC has faced a lot of star players, including UConn’s Paige Bueckers and South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso, and will face another in 5–5 Orange graduate guard Dyaisha Fair.
Fair, a preseason All-ACC pick, is 18th on the all-time NCAA scoring list with 2,927 points after scoring 27 points in the win over the Irish. She leads the team in scoring at 19.7 points per game
Alyssa Latham, a 6–2 freshman forward, collected 21 points and 12 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double and fifth of the season. She averages 11.6 points and a team-leading 8.8 rebounds.
NOTES —Ustby is one of five USBW Ann Myers Drysdale Women’s National Players of the Week. She collected 21 points and 11 rebounds against Clemson for her sixth double-double of the season and 28th of her career. She shared the honor with Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, UCLA’s Londynn Jones, Villanova’s Lucy Olsen and Colorado’s Jaylyn Sherrod. … Dean Linke and Derel Jordan will be on the ESPN3 call of the game. … Syracuse holds a 9–6 series lead and has won seven of the last nine meetings after UNC won four of the first six. The Orange won at Syracuse last season 76–67.
UNC season statistics
Syracuse season statistics
ACC standings
| Team | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| No. 11 Virginia Tech | 14–4 | 23–6 |
| No. 10 N.C. State | 13–5 | 25–5 |
| No. 20 Syracuse | 13–5 | 23–6 |
| No. 14 Notre Dame | 13–5 | 23–6 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 12–6 | 23–8 |
| Florida State | 12–6 | 21–9 |
| Duke | 11–7 | 19–10 |
| North Carolina | 11–7 | 19–11 |
| Miami | 8–10 | 18–11 |
| Georgia Tech | 7–11 | 16–14 |
| Virginia | 7–11 | 15–14 |
| Boston College | 5–13 | 13–18 |
| Clemson | 5–13 | 12–18 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–16 | 8–23 |
| Wake Forest | 2–16 | 6–24 |
Sunday’s games
North Carolina 63, Duke 59
Boston College 84, Pittsburgh 58
No. 10 N.C. State 75, Wake Forest 57
No. 14 Notre Dame 74, No. 24 Louisville 58
Georgia Tech 71, Miami 66, OT
Florida State 82, Clemson 79
Virginia 80, No. 11 Virginia Tech 75
ACC tournament
Greensboro Coliseum
Wednesday-Sunday
| 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 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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