By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina’s women will play in Texas for the second consecutive season, taking on the Texas Longhorns for the first time in 45 years.
The matchup at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, will be part of the third ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge. The game will take place on the second night of women’s games, on Thursday, Dec. 4. Last season, the Tar Heels played in Dallas against SMU, rolling to a 64–33 victory.
It will be the second all-time meeting between the programs, following Carolina’s 75–73 win over Texas on Jan. 11, 1981, in Chapel Hill.
Texas won a program-record 35 games last season, won the SEC regular-season title and advanced to the Final Four for the first time in 22 years.
Coach Courtney Banghart’s Tar Heels went 29–8 and advanced to the Sweet 16 last season.
This is the first time Carolina has played on the road in the Challenge after the No. 24 Tar Heels lost 65–58 to No. 1 South Carolina in 2023 and No. 16 UNC beat No. 14 Kentucky 72–53 last season.
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Wednesday, Dec. 3
Georgia at Florida State
Georgia Tech at Texas A&M
Kentucky at Miami
N.C. State at Oklahoma
Tennessee at Stanford
Auburn at Syracuse
Virginia at Vanderbilt
Thursday, Dec. 4
North Carolina at Texas
California at Missouri
Clemson at Alabama
LSU at Duke
South Carolina at Louisville
Notre Dame at Ole Miss
Pitt at Mississippi State
Arkansas at SMU
Florida at Virginia Tech
(UNC is one below the 15-player limit)
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 11 | Kate Harpring | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | 52 | Noelle Bofia | F | 6–4 | |
| Sophomore | 3 | Gabby White — W | G | 5–10 | |
| Sophomore | 7 | Nyla Brooks | W | 6–1 | |
| Sophomore | 26 | Taissa Queiroz | G | 6–1 | |
| Junior | 34 | Blanca Thomas | C | 6–5 | |
| Junior | 1 | Jordan Zubich | G | 5–11 | |
| RS junior | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS junior | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Senior | 5 | Sophie Burrows — X | G | 6–2 | |
| Senior | 8 | Achol Akot — Y | F | 6–1 | |
| Senior | 10 | Reniya Kelly | G | 5–7 | |
| Senior | 15 | Sydney Barker | G | 5–6 | |
| Graduate | 13 | Chloe Clardy — Z | G | 5–9 |
W — Virginia transfer; X — Syracuse transfer; Y — Oklahoma State transfer; Z — Stanford transfer
Former players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elina Aarnisalo | Junior | G | 5–10 | UCLA |
| Lanie Grant | Junior | G | 5–9 | TCU |
| Taliyah Henderson | Sophomore | W | 6–1 | Clemson |
| Liza Astakhova | Sophomore | G | 6–2 | BYU |
Photo courtesy of the ACC
