By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina navigates a trip to Paris, cross-country trips, and a loaded non-conference gauntlet in its women’s basketball schedule this season, which was revealed in full on Wednesday.
The Tar Heels, coming off a Sweet 16 appearance, have eight games against teams ranked in last season’s final Top 25.
The ACC released the league schedule on Wednesday, and UNC plays its only game against N.C. State early, hosting the Wolfpack on Dec. 13, two days before the men’s teams from the two schools play a non-conference game in Greensboro.
UNC then welcomes Georgia Tech to Chapel Hill on Dec. 17, and closes out the calendar year visiting Syracuse on Dec. 31.
North Carolina opens January on the road at Clemson (Jan. 3) before returning to Carmichael to host Wake Forest (Jan. 7). There is a trip to Louisville (Jan. 10) and, after a week off, Carolina welcomes Boston College home on Jan. 17.
Then comes the cross-country stretch. The Tar Heels head west for consecutive dates against the ACC’s Bay Area programs, facing Cal on Jan. 21 and Stanford on Jan. 24, before flying home to close the month with a pair of marquee matchups: Notre Dame, ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll last season, visits Carmichael on Jan. 28, followed by the first showdown against Duke, who was ranked No. 5, on Jan. 31.
February opens with a game at Miami on Feb. 4. The Tar Heels return home to host Virginia Tech on Feb. 7. They spend Valentine’s Day in Texas, taking on SMU on Feb. 14, before heading north to Pittsburgh on Feb. 18. Two home games close out the regular home schedule, with Florida State visiting Feb. 21 and Virginia following on Feb. 25. Carolina wraps the regular season at Duke on Feb. 28.
Before conference play begins, the Tar Heels will test themselves against a non-conference slate that includes Oklahoma in Paris, South Carolina in Charlotte, Texas Tech, Alabama and LSU.
Before the season opener in Paris, UNC plays an exhibition game on Oct. 18 against Davidson in Carmichael Arena.
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Photo by Joshua Lawton
| 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 |
UNC schedule
| Date | Day/ month | Time | Opponent/event (rank in final poll) |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | |||
| 18 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Davidson (exhibition) |
| November | |||
| 2 | Monday | TBA | Oui-Play in Paris vs. No 12 Oklahoma |
| 8 | Sunday | TBA | Ally Tipoff in Charlotte vs. No. 2 South Carolina |
| 11 | Wednesday | TBA | vs. N.C. Central |
| 14 | Saturday | TBA | at Penn in Palestra |
| WBCA Showcase | Orlando | ||
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. Texas Tech |
| 21 | Saturday | 5 p.m. | vs. No. 24 Alabama |
| ——— | |||
| 24 | Tuesday | TBA | vs. Gardner-Webb |
| 27 | Friday | TBA | vs. Army |
| 29 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Brown |
| December | |||
| 2 | Wednesday | TBA | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge vs. No. 8 LSU |
| 6 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Elon |
| 9 | Wednesday | 11 a.m. | vs. Winthrop |
| 13 | Sunday | TBA | vs. N.C. State |
| 17 | Thursday | TBA | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 21 | Monday | TBA | vs. Norfolk State |
| 28 | Monday | TBA | vs. UNCW |
| 31 | Thursday | TBA | at Syracuse |
| January | |||
| 3 | Sunday | TBA | at Clemson |
| 7 | Thursday | TBA | vs. Wake Forest |
| 10 | Sunday | TBA | at No. 11 Louisville |
| 17 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Boston College |
| 21 | Thursday | TBA | at California |
| 24 | Sunday | TBA | at Stanford |
| 28 | Thursday | TBA | vs. No. 9 Notre Dame |
| 31 | Sunday | TBA | vs. No. 5 Duke |
| February | |||
| 4 | Thursday | TBA | at Miami |
| 7 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Virginia Tech |
| 14 | Sunday | TBA | at SMU |
| 18 | Thursday | TBA | at Pittsburgh |
| 21 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Florida State |
| 25 | Thursday | TBA | vs. No. 19 Virginia |
| 28 | Sunday | TBA | at No. 5 Duke |
| March | |||
| 3–7 | Wed.-Sun. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
