By R.L. Bynum
FORT WORTH, Texas — Indya Nivar has made a career of chasing scorers, reading screens, and turning hot hands into quiet ones.
The senior’s next task in the Sweet 16 at 5 p.m. ET Friday at Dickies Arena against No. 1 UConn will be one of the most challenging in her North Carolina career.
She’ll be the No. 15 Tar Heels’ primary defender on graduate guard Azzi Fudd. Fudd was unstoppable, tying career highs with 34‑points and eight 3-pointers in burying Syracuse 98–45 in Monday’s second victory.
Nivar says it starts with five players moving in sync, rather than one player shadowing a star.
“She’s a great player,” Nivar said. “I think when I play defense, it’s more of an all‑around team effort. It’s not just me. All of us have to focus in on the scout and pay attention to the little details and making sure that we’re there to help each other out.”
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UNC coach Courtney Banghart said that Nivar won’t be able to do it by herself.
“It will be about how well does each piece guard what they’re trying to do, and that’s what I’m talking about, that toughness,” Banghart said. “It takes an enormous amount of toughness possession by possession. You need all five bringing that same level.”
The perimeter plan pairs Nivar’s assignment with collective detail. Sophomore guard Elina Aarnisalo spelled out the guard checklist against Fudd and UConn’s spacing.
“Obviously, she’s a great shooter, so going over screens and just being aggressive … really pressuring the ball, trying to get deflections, contesting their shots, is going to be a big thing,” Aarnisalo said.
Depth pieces will matter. Freshman wing Nyla Brooks, who delivered a dagger three against Maryland, spoke to the collective requirement around the arc.
“We’ve got to guard these good players with the full team,” Brooks said. “It doesn’t just take one person.” She added that respect runs both ways. “She’s got to defend us, too.”
Even if UNC somehow manages to stop Fudd, that would be far from enough to stay with the Huskies because of the talent up and down the roster. That starts with All-American sophomore center Sarah Strong.
“It’s not like you shut down one guy, and they’re just going to keep trying to shove that round hole in a square peg,” Banghart said. “They have weapons all over. It’s as much of an individual effort as it is holistic. You try to limit their strengths, which there’s a lot of strengths. You have to do that possession by possession, make things more difficult, put them into plan B. There are a lot of analytics out there, so play to that.”
Banghart recruited Strong hard when she was a prep standout in North Carolina, and she still speaks of her with admiration.
“Yeah, she’s a special kid,” Banghart said. “It’s a kid I’ve loved for a long time.” She called Strong “a generational talent,” and said, “I think she’s the best player in college basketball, and I think she’s starting to see that.”
Inside, UNC will throw senior Nyla Harris and sophomore Ciera Toomey at Strong, with an emphasis on making her work on both ends. Harris was blunt about the dual assignment.
“I think Sarah Strong is a phenomenal player,” Harris said. “The biggest thing that me and Cierra can do is just make it hard for her.”
She said the Tar Heels cannot play the matchup one way and expect to survive.
“We have to make sure that we work in the paint as well, because we’re just as good, and we’re both at the Sweet 16 for a reason,” Harris said.
Toomey said that the Tar Heels need to make sure they always know where Strong is on the floor.
“She has many ways of affecting the game, not even just scoring, just her passing abilities and everything, and how much attention she brings to herself really opens up the floor for everyone else,” Toomey said. “We really just need to do a good job of finding that in between, of taking her shot away, but also still being helpful to others. For me, I’m on the other post, so just being helpful to Harris.”
The defensive challenges are there. It will be about limiting the big games Strong and Fudd routinely deliver for UConn.
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
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 games (ESPN)
Notre Dame (24–10) vs. Vanderbilt (29–4), 2:30
UConn (36–0) vs. North Carolina (28–7), 5 p.m.
REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday’s game
Semifinal winners
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ 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 | 5 p.m. | Sweet 16 in Fort Worth, Texas: vs. No. 1 UConn | ESPN |
Photo by Daniel Walker
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