By R.L. Bynum
No. 11 North Carolina (2–0) vs. No. 3 UCLA (3–0)
When: 9 p.m. ET Thursday
Where: Michelob Ultra Arena (home of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces), Las Vegas
Event: WBCA Challenge (Carolina faces Fairfield on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET in its other Challenge game.)
TV: ESPN2 (streaming on ESPN app and here): Eric Frede play-by-play, Christy Thomaskutty analyst
Radio: WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM, streams on the Varsity Network app; Matt Krause play-by-play
Massey Ratings: UCLA No. 4, UNC No. 23
Bart Torvik: UCLA No. 2, UNC No. 14
Warren Nolan NET rankings: UCLA No. 5, UNC No. 20
Line: UCLA -10½
Over/under: 131½
Moneylines: UNC +525, UCLA -750
Series: UNC 6, UCLA 4; 1–1 at neutral sites, including UNC winning the last meeting in 2019 in the Paradise Jam 83–49
Head coaches: Courtney Banghart (381–167 record in 19 seasons; 127–64 record in seven seasons at UNC); Cori Close (324–143 in 16 seasons, all at UCLA)
Scouting the Bruins
Key players:
— Lauren Betts (top photo) | 6–7 senior center | 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.9 BPG, 64.8 FG%
— Gianna Kneepkens | 6–0 graduate guard | 20 points in last two games; elite shooter from Utah
— Kiki Rice | 5–11 senior guard | 12.8 points, 5.0 assists, 48.5 FG%
— Angela Dugalić | 6–4 graduate forward | 14 points, 13 rebounds vs. Oklahoma
— Gabriela Jaquez | 6–0 senior guard | 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds; energy player
Strengths — Elite rebounding, balanced scoring and strong interior defense
UCLA results:
—77–53 Nov. 3 win in Anaheim over San Diego State
—87–50 Thursday win vs. UC Santa Barbara
—73–59 Monday win in Sacramento over No. 6 Oklahoma
Projected UNC starters
— Reniya Kelly | 5–7 junior guard | The Preseason All-ACC First Team pick hasn’t scored in 15 combined minutes
— Lanie Grant | 5–9 sophomore guard | 11.0 points
— Indya Nivar | 5–10 senior guard | 13.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists
— Nyla Harris | 6–2 senior forward | 11.0 points, 6.5 rebounds
— Ciera Toomey | 6–4 redshirt sophomore center | 10.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4 BLK vs. NC Central
Key reserves:
—Nyla Brooks | 6–1 freshman wing | 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists
— Elina Aarnisalo | 5–10 sophomore guard | 7.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists; transferred from UCLA in the offseason
Storylines to watch
Injuries: Kelly played limited minutes in the first two games (likely still working her way back from a right knee injury last season), and sophomore Blanca Thomas (undisclosed injury) hasn’t played in either game or the Tar Heels’ exhibition game. Thomas was wearing uniform shorts as the team watched Thursday’s first game from the stands .Harris spent a good amount of time on an exercise bike during Thursday’s 73–37 win over Elon. Freshman UCLA forward Sienna Betts, the No. 2 player in the Class of 2025 and Lauren Betts’ sister, missed the Oklahoma game with a lower-leg injury and Close said Wednesday that she and Timea Gardiner will miss the game.
Battle of the centers: Lauren Betts vs. Ciera Toomey. Toomey gives up three inches in a challenging matchup and must play good defense without fouling to stay in the game (particularly if Thomas can’t play). Betts only had nine points on 4 of 11 shooting against Oklahoma, with 10 rebounds.
Nivar vs. Rice: UNC’s defensive stopper will need to limit Rice’s production.
3-point shooting: Carolina has several good 3-point shooters, but the Tar Heels made only 12 of 46 attempts (26.1%) in the first two games. If multiple players get hot from the perimeter, UNC could pull the upset. A bad UNC shooting night could make it a long night. Jaquez (43.8%), Dugalić (36.4%) and Kneepkens (35.0%) are all 3-point threats.
Rebounding: UCLA’s height will give it a huge advantage under the boards, and the Tar Heels will need to rebound well.
Carolina defense: The Tar Heels have held the last four opponents under 50 points. That won’t likely happen on Thursday, but UNC needs to force turnovers to ignite its transition game. Oklahoma forced UCLA into 17 turnovers.
Transfer power: Utah transfer Kneepkens and Washington State 5–10 transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker, granted a fifth season, bring veteran scoring to UCLA.
UNC statistics
UCLA statistics
| 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. 4 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. 2 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | L, 76–66, OT | vs. No. 13 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 | 8 p.m. | at Boston College | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | Noon | vs. California | ACCN |
| 4 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Stanford | ESPN |
| 11 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 18 Notre Dame | ESPN |
| 15 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Miami | ACCN Extra |
| 18 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Florida State | The CW |
| 22 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| 25 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | The CW |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 6 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN2 |
| 5 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ACCN |
| 8 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 12 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. SMU | ACCN |
| 15 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at Duke | ABC |
| 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. 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 |
Top photo via uclabruins.com
tarheeltribune.com 