By R.L. Bynum
As if Wolfpack fans don’t get fired up enough when Carolina visits Reynolds Coliseum, N.C. State coach Wes Moore dredged up comments from 17 months ago to encourage fans to give the Tar Heels their typical rude welcome.
The vitriol yelled at Carolina’s players and coaches annually when they visit Raleigh is why UNC coach Courtney Banghart called State fans “classless” on an episode of the since discontinued “The Tar Heel Show” podcast in August 2022.
Anybody who has been to the games knows what UNC has dealt with and will likely face again at 8 p.m. Thursday (ACC Network) when the No. 24 Tar Heels (15–6, 7–2 ACC) visit the No. 5 Wolfpack (18–2, 6–2).
Banghart quickly apologized for her comments, but Moore makes no apologies for the fans.
“I think someone called our fans classless?” Moore said after Sunday’s 82–61 win over Boston College. “Thursday night, I hope we’re real classless. I hope we bring the heat.”
Whether he was kidding around or just trying to add more spice to the rivalry, he said it.
Banghart first got the attention of Wolfpack fans in January 2022 when she called Reynolds Coliseum a “small gym.” But the loud, raucous atmosphere in the arena has her full respect.
Banghart, whose kids have been in the stands for many road games but not for the recent visits at N.C. State, annually tries to get her team ready for the noise level.
“Last year, we played in practice with a ton with music so loud the whole time so that we couldn’t hear,” Banghart said on her radio show Monday, the day she said that those loud practices would start for the week.
The Tar Heels have benefited from big Carmichael Arena crowds, including 6,073 for their 79–68 win on Jan. 21 over Louisville, and Banghart said the expected sellout of 5,500 at Reynolds will be a boost for the Wolfpack.
“Just like at Carolina, there’s a significant home-court advantage, because it’s a very pro-home-team environment,” Banghart said. “It’s loud. And your execution — if you don’t have internal communication — could be a problem. It’s not only a really good team, but the environment is real, given that there’s such a support for women’s basketball in ACC.”
The Tar Heels get the chance this week to make significant progress toward the goal of hosting first- and second-round NCAA tournament games and earning a double-bye in the ACC tournament.
If the season ended today, the Tar Heels would have a double-bye for the first time since 2013, but they have some work to do to be a host. ESPN projects UNC to be a No. 5 seed; only No. 4 seeds or higher are hosts.
After the State game, the Tar Heels return home to meet No. 17 Virginia Tech (16–4, 7–2) at noon Sunday (ESPN2).
All five State starters, 5–9 junior guard Azlaha James (15.5 points, 2.7 assists), junior 6–1 guard Saniya Rivers (12.8 points, 4.7 assists), graduate 6–4 forward Mimi Collins (12.0, 6.7 rebounds), senior 6–0 guard Madison Hayes (11.9, 6.7 rebounds) and graduate 6–5 guard River Baldwin (10.4, 7.2 rebounds) average double-figure points.
“It’s a really good team,” Banghart said. “So, it’s a true team. There’s not any one person kind of shouldering that load.”
The Wolfpack was picked eighth in the preseason ACC poll, but won its first 14 games, including a 92–81 home victory on Nov. 12 over UConn, and has been in the top 10 since Nov. 27. N.C. State lost 73–49 at Miami on Jan. 18 but has won three straight games since then.
Carolina will try to rebound from an 81–66 loss at Virginia.
NOTES — N.C. State leads the all-time series 63–54 after each home team won last season. The teams have split the two games in four of the past five seasons. … This is the last season for the foreseeable future that the teams will play twice each season, with the ACC going to a new scheduling model next season because of the additions of SMU, Stanford and Cal. … Senior guard Deja Kelly leads the ACC with 150 free-throw attempts, trailing only LSU’s Angel Reese (166) nationally. … Pam Ward and Stephanie White will be on the ACC Network call of the game.
UNC season statistics
N.C. State season statistics
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 9 Duke | 14–0 | 19–6 | 10 |
| No. 8 Louisville | 14–1 | 24–4 | 9 |
| Syracuse | 11–4 | 21–5 | 38 |
| No. 22 North Carolina | 10–4 | 21–6 | 19 |
| N.C. State | 10–4 | 17–8 | 24 |
| Virginia Tech | 10–5 | 20–7 | 42 |
| Virginia | 10–5 | 18–8 | 41 |
| Clemson | 9–6 | 18–9 | 39 |
| Notre Dame | 8–6 | 16–9 | 28 |
| California | 7–7 | 16–11 | 55 |
| Georgia Tech | 6–8 | 11–15 | 86 |
| Stanford | 5–9 | 16–11 | 44 |
| Miami | 5–9 | 13–12 | 57 |
| Florida State | 4–10 | 9–17 | 107 |
| Wake Forest | 3–11 | 13–13 | 124 |
| SMU | 2–12 | 9–17 | 195 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–13 | 8–19 | 255 |
| Boston College | 0–15 | 4–23 | 252 |
* — Through Wednesday games
Thursday’s games
No. 22 North Carolina at Virginia Tech, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Notre Dame at Wake Forest, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
California at Florida State, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
N.C. State at No. 9 Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
Boston College at SMU, 7:30, ACCN Extra
Stanford at Miami, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Sunday’s games
Virginia at No. 8 Louisville, noon, The CW
Pittsburgh at No. 22 North Carolina, noon, ACC Network
Wake Forest at Boston College, noon, ACCN Extra
No. 9 Duke at Clemson, 2 p.m.
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
California at Miami, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Stanford at Florida State, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Syracuse at N.C. State, 2 p.m., The CW
Notre Dame at SMU, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Thursday, Feb. 26, games
No. 8 Louisville at Georgia Tech, 6 p.m., ACC Network
No. 22 North Carolina at Virginia, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Syracuse at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Pittsburgh at Miami, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Wake Forest at N.C. State, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Florida State at No. 9 Duke, 8 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
Clemson at California, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 3 South Carolina in Atlanta | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 90–42 | vs. N.C. Central | 1–0 |
| 6 | Thursday | W, 71–37 | vs. Elon | 2–0 |
| WBCA Challenge Las Vegas | ||||
| 13 | Thursday | L, 78–60 | vs. No. 2 UCLA | 2–1 |
| 15 | Saturday | W, 82–68 | vs. Fairfield | 3–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 20 | Thursday | W, 85–50 | at N.C. A&T | 4–1 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 94–48 | vs. UNCG | 5–1 |
| Cancun Challenge Cancun, Mexico | ||||
| 27 | Thursday | W, 83–48 | vs. South Dakota St. | 6–1 |
| 28 | Friday | W, 85–73 | vs. Kansas State | 7–1 |
| 29 | Saturday | W, 80–63 | vs. Columbia | 8–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 79–64 | at No. 4 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | L, 76–66, OT | vs. No. 8 Louisville | 9–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 | Wednesday | W, 84–34 | vs. UNCW | 10–3 |
| 21 | Sunday | W, 93–74 | vs. Charleston Southern | 11–3 |
| 29 | Monday | W, 90–38 | at Boston College | 12–3, 1–1 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | W, 71–55 | vs. California | 13–3, 2–1 |
| 4 | Sunday | L, 77–71, OT | vs. Stanford | 13–4, 2–2 |
| 11 | Sunday | L, 73–50 | at Notre Dame | 13–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | Thursday | W, 73–62 | vs. Miami | 14–5, 3–3 |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 82–55 | at Florida State | 15–5, 4–3 |
| 22 | Thursday | W, 54–46 | at Georgia Tech | 16–5, 5–3 |
| 25 | Sunday | W, 77–71, OT | vs. Syracuse | 17–5, 6–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 61–59 | at N.C. State | 18–5, 7–3 |
| 5 | Thursday | W, 53–44 | vs. Clemson | 19–5, 8–3 |
| 8 | Sunday | W, 84–56 | vs. Wake Forest | 20–5, 9–3 |
| 12 | Thursday | W, 94–42 | vs. SMU | 21–5, 10–3 |
| 15 | Sunday | L, 72–68 | at No. 9 Duke | 21–6, 10–4 |
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | ACCN |
| 22 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Pittsburgh | ACCN |
| 26 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Virginia | ACCN Extra |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | Noon | vs. No. 9 Duke | ESPN |
| ACC tournament | ||||
| 4–8 | Wed.-Sun | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | ||
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 20–24 | Fri.-Mon. | First, second rounds | ||
| 27–30 | Fri.-Mon. | Regionals Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, Calif. | ||
| April | ||||
| 3, 5 | Fri., Sun | Final Four Phoenix |
Photo courtesy of the ACC
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