By R.L. Bynum
FORT WORTH, Texas — Few people nationally give No. 15 North Carolina much of a chance against No. 1 UConn, which arrives at the Sweet 16 riding a 52‑game win streak after a 53-point win.
Inside the Tar Heels’ locker room, the talk sounds nothing like the outside noise. It centers on habits, tempo control and making every possession matter.
The Tar Heels (28–7) are 27½-point underdogs in the 5 p.m. Friday game against the reigning national champions at Dickies Arena (ESPN). They have no control over all of that, don’t talk about it and aren’t too concerned.
Coach Courtney Banghart has no interest in betting lines or the associated narratives.
“We don’t spend really any time talking about being an underdog,” she said. “I don’t think we spend any time talking about that.”
She prefers to anchor the discussion in execution and concentration.
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“We talk about our game plan,” Banghart said. “Just the value of the possession and how competitive you have to be with your concentration and your balance and your shot readiness and your ball control, and you lock in to the defensive scout.”
The stage suits a program and in a league that has insisted on proving things in March. Banghart took a moment to appreciate the broader picture without losing sight of the immediate task.
“Really thrilled to be representing the ACC,” she said. “This year we had nine [in the NCAA tournament], and five of them went to the Sweet 16.”
Carolina isn’t alone, though. The other four ACC teams are also underdogs in the Sweet 16, but not by such a wide margin.
Banghart understands how perceptions are formed and how hard they are to unwind later in the season, but the remedy sounds familiar.
“Our job in this role — me and the other coaches in our league just have to continue to win the games in front of us, recruit the best talent, and coach the best that we can with the teams we have,” she said.
North Carolina built this season to handle nights like Friday. The nonconference schedule was a test that revealed the standard and demanded growth.
“I think especially early on, it helped because the standard is really clear,” Banghart said. “I think we’re better than when we played those games. We’re more resilient. We’re more connected. We’ve been through more stuff. Our players are better. We have a better rhythm. And we’re older.”
It’s not as if it’s the first time her team has been an underdog this season against one of the elite teams in the country.
The Tar Heels have met the other three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament and were able to stay competitive against South Carolina (in an exhibition), UCLA and Texas into the third quarter before letting the game slip away.
“UConn has been starting off their games really strong,” guard Elina Aarnisalo said. “The first and third quarters are their best quarters, where they get the difference with the other team.”
Freshman guard Lanie Grant will soak in the setting but keep the focus narrow. She has felt the magnitude of these games and the way they pull a building into a shared experience.
“Whenever you have an opportunity to play UConn, it’s special,” Grant said. “So, the environment is going to be so fun and just to see the impact that the women’s game and that they’ve had on the women’s game is going to be special.”
What has carried UNC most, she said, is an offense by committee that forces defenses to guard every spot.
“There’s not one player,” Grant said. “On any given night, it could be anybody that’s going for any number of points, which is special and it’s hard to defend.”
Aarnisalo expects the game to reward the team that does simple things cleanly under pressure. For her, that begins with sharp cuts and secure catches that protect the ball before the first dribble.
“Our offense is going to [have to] be taking care of the ball, being really sharp with our passes, getting open, getting contact before receiving the ball,” she said.
Senior forward Nyla Harris pushed the underdog narrative aside and kept the lens tight on UNC’s identity.
“We have to not listen to that, and we just have to play our game,” she said. “They put their shoes on just like we do. They put their jerseys on just like we do.”
Sophomore post Ciera Toomey pointed to something even more basic that has been on every scouting card this week.
“When you play UConn, you can’t make many mistakes,” Toomey said. “We just need to make sure we limit as many of those as possible.”
The margin is thin, and the stakes are obvious. Banghart’s message lands as both simple and steady.
“We just talk about those things,” she said. “What it’s like to beat a team and to compete with a team that’s going to give you formidable challenges minute by minute for 40 minutes.”
They can’t control the betting line, but are intent on controlling their effort and execution.
Fort Worth 1 Regional
FIRST ROUND
Last Friday’s results
Chapel Hill
No. 5 Maryland 99, No. 12 Murray State 67
No. 4 North Carolina 82, No. 13 Western Illinois 51
Last Saturday’s results
Storrs, Conn.
No. 1 UConn 90, No. 16 UTSA 52
No. 9 Syracuse 72, No. 8 Iowa State 63
Columbus, Ohio
No. 3 Ohio State 74, No. 14 Howard 54
No. 6 Notre Dame 79, Fairfield 60
Nashville, Tenn.
No. 2 Vanderbilt 102, No. 15 High Point 61
No. 7 Illinois 66, No. 10 Colorado 57
SECOND ROUND
Last Sunday’s result
Chapel Hill
North Carolina 74, Maryland 66
Monday’s results
Columbus, Ohio
Notre Dame 83, Ohio State 73
Storrs, Conn.
UConn 98, Syracuse 45
Nashville, Tenn.
Vanderbilt 75, Illinois 57
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
Fort Worth, Texas
Friday’s results
Notre Dame 67, Vanderbilt 64
UConn 63, North Carolina 42
REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday’s result
UConn 70, Notre Dame 52
| Date | Day/month | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 4 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. 3 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 | 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 No. 22 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. 8 Duke | 21–6, 10–4 |
| 19 | Thursday | W, 66–63, OT | at Virginia Tech | 22–6, 11–4 |
| 22 | Sunday | W, 78–50 | vs. Pittsburgh | 23–6, 12–4 |
| 26 | Thursday | W, 82–70 | at Virginia | 24–6, 13–4 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | W, 72–69 | vs. No. 8 Duke | 25–6, 14–4 |
| ACC tournament | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | |||
| 6 | Friday | W, 85–68 | Quarterfinal vs. Va. Tech | 26–6 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 65–57 | Semifinal vs. No. 13 Louisville | 26–7 |
| NCAA tournament Fort Worth 1 Regional | ||||
| 21 | Friday | W, 82–51 | First round in Chapel Hill: vs. Western Illinois | 27–7 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 74–66 | Second round in Chapel Hill: No. 17 Maryland | 28–7 |
| 27 | Friday | L, 63–52 | Sweet 16 in Fort Worth, Texas: vs. No. 1 UConn | 28–8 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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