By R.L. Bynum
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 12 North Carolina
What: Ally Tipoff
When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday; No. 14 Kentucky and No. 25 N.C. State play the first game of the doubleheader at 3 p.m.
Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte
TV: ESPN | Beth Mowins play-by-play, Debbie Antonelli analyst; Dee Kantner rules analyst
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM, streaming here; also streams on the Varsity Network app) | Matt Krause play-by-play, Brad Frederick analyst
Coaches: South Carolina coach Dawn Staley (19th season at South Carolina; 512–114 with the Gamecocks and 684–194 in her 27th season as a college head coach) and UNC coach Courtney Banghart (eighth season at Carolina; 153–73; 407–176 in 20 seasons as a head coach)
Series: UNC leads 7–6, but South Carolina has won the last four meetings: 67–65 on March 27, 2015, in the Sweet 16; 69–61 on March 25, 2022, in the Sweet 16; 65–58 on Nov. 30, 2023, in Chapel Hill; and 88–41 on March 24, 2024, in the NCAA tournament’s second round in Columbia.
Exhibition results: UNC beat Davidson 76–66 on Oct. 18 and lost 72–68 at No. 20 Maryland on Oct. 24. South Carolina beat College of Charleston 91–60 on Sept. 27 and Benedict 113–34 on Oct. 23.
Openers: Both played in the Oui-Play event in Paris: UNC lost to No. 21 Oklahoma at the Oui-Play event in Paris 91–79 after South Carolina held off No. 20 Maryland 101–93.
Projected South Carolina starters
No. 7 | G | Jordan Lee (top photo) | 6–0 | junior Texas transfer
— The Stockton, Calif., native gives South Carolina an experienced addition in the backcourt after playing at Texas.
— Scored 13 points in her Gamecocks debut against Maryland and made all seven free-throw attempts.
— In the Longhorns’ 79–64 victory last season on Dec. 4 in Austin, Texas, over UNC, Lee collected a game-high 22 points, two 3-pointers, five rebounds and two steals.
No. 5 | G | Tessa Johnson | 6–0 | senior
— Averaged 12.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season, earning All-SEC second-team honors.
— Led the SEC and ranked fourth nationally in 3-point percentage (44.8%), making 90 3-pointers, the third-most in a season in program history.
— Has made the Final Four All-Tournament team twice, in 2024 and 2026, and reached 1,000 career points against TCU on March 30.
No. 44 | G | Agot Makeer | 6–1 | sophomore
— The Thunder Bay, Ontario, native averaged 14.0 points on 55% shooting during last season’s NCAA tournament, scoring in double figures in all six games.
— Earned NCAA regional all-tournament honors and scored 14 points in the national semifinal victory over UConn.
— Opened this season with a career-high 20 points against Maryland, making all four 3-point attempts.
No. 8 | F | Joyce Edwards | 6–3 | junior
— Averaged 19.2 points and 6.8 rebounds last season while shooting 57.1% from the floor.
— Earned All-SEC first-team honors in each of her first two seasons and was a second-team AP All-American last season.
— Set South Carolina season records with 768 points and 22 games of at least 20 points in 2025–26.
— Reached 1,000 career points in her 64th game, becoming the fifth-fastest Gamecock to reach that milestone.
No. 21 | F | Chloe Kitts | 6–2 | fifth-year
— Returned after missing last season following surgery to repair a torn ACL in her right knee.
— Averaged 10.2 points and a team-leading 7.7 rebounds in 2024–25, earning honorable mention All-America recognition.
— Was the 2025 SEC tournament MVP and an NCAA regional MVP. Her career-high 25 points came against Vanderbilt in the 2025 SEC tournament quarterfinals..
Other key Gamecocks
No. 9 | G | Jerzy Robinson | 6–0 | freshman
— The Sierra Canyon product scored 15 points in her college debut against Maryland, including two 3-pointers.
No. 2 | F | Ashlyn Watkins | 6–3 | fifth-year
— Sat out last season while recovering from a knee injury suffered in January 2025.
— Earned All-SEC second-team honors in 2024 after averaging 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.
— Had 20 rebounds against N.C. State in the 2024 national semifinals. Her career scoring high is 21 points at Arkansas on Feb. 29, 2024.
— Scored 10 points in South Carolina’s 65–58 victory at UNC in November 2023, including two late free throws that helped secure the win.
No. 15 | F | Adhel Tac | 6–5 | junior
— Averaged 3.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks last season.
No. 24 | G | Ayla McDowell | 6–1 | sophomore
— Averaged 4.1 points last season and shot 36.3% from 3-point range.
No. 31 | F | Alicia Tournebize | 6–7 | sophomore
— The Vichy, France, native averaged 4.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks last season.
No. 6 | G | Brooke Quarles-Daniels | 5–7 | fifth-year Michigan transfer
— The Macomb, Mich., native adds another veteran guard to a backcourt that lost Raven Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson.
Newcomers to know: In addition to Lee, Quarles-Daniels and Robinson, South Carolina added freshmen Oliviyah Edwards (6–3 forward), Kaeli Wynn (6–2 forward), Kelsi Andrews (6–3 forward) and Justine Loubens (6–2 guard from France).
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Notes
— South Carolina went 36–4 last season, won the SEC regular-season championship with a 15–1 league record and finished as the NCAA runner-up. The Gamecocks return two starters from that team, Tessa Johnson and Joyce Edwards.
— South Carolina lost three starters who averaged double figures last season: Ta’Niya Latson (14.1 points), Madina Okot (12.8 points, 10.6 rebounds) and Raven Johnson (9.9 points, 5.1 assists). Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins return after sitting out last season with torn ACLs.
— Staley has led South Carolina to three national championships (2017, 2022 and 2024) and eight Final Fours, including six consecutive appearances.
— The Gamecocks led Maryland 61–33 at halftime and by as many as 31 points before the Terrapins rallied. Maryland cut the margin to six late in the fourth quarter.
— Edwards led South Carolina with 23 points and eight rebounds in Paris. Johnson finished with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Kitts had eight points, seven rebounds and five assists.
— Watkins led South Carolina with 10 rebounds in her return. The Gamecocks allowed at least 90 points in regulation for only the eighth time under Staley.
— Carolina seeks the program’s fourth win against a top-ranked team and first since 2019. This is the fourth time the Tar Heels have faced a No. 1 South Carolina team.
— UNC trailed Oklahoma only 39–38 at halftime, but the Sooners outscored the Tar Heels 31–14 in the third quarter. Carolina won the fourth quarter 27–21.
— Kate Harpring led Carolina with 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in her college debut. Nyla Brooks scored 13 points, and Achol Akot added 11 points and eight rebounds.
— Reniya Kelly set a career high with seven assists against Oklahoma. Sophie Burrows matched Akot with eight rebounds.
— Senior forward Ciera Toomey hasn’t played in the two exhibition games or the opener with a lower-body concern.
— Carolina shot 33.7% from the floor, 27.5% from 3-point range and 58.8% at the free-throw line in its opener. Oklahoma held a 53–48 rebounding advantage. UNC collected 16 steals and scored 27 points off turnovers.
— Sunday is the second of two consecutive games against ranked SEC opponents to begin Carolina’s season. The Tar Heels remain No. 12 in the preseason AP poll; the next poll comes out Monday.
— Carolina’s home opener is Wednesday against N.C. Central at 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra. UNC then visits Penn on Nov. 14 before facing Texas Tech and Alabama at the WBCA Showcase in Florida.
— UNC coach Courtney Banghart is 3–7 against SEC teams, with the last win 72–53 in the 2024 SEC/ACC Women’s Challenge against Kentucky.
— Banghart is 23–35 against ranked teams, getting wins last season against No. 12 Duke and No. 17 Maryland.
— Carolina is 60–85 all-time against ranked teams on neutral courts.
Box scores from openers
No. 21 Oklahoma 91, No. 12 UNC 79
No. 1 South Carolina 101, No. 20 Maryland 93
UNC lineup combinations vs. Maryland
| Date | Day/ month | Times/ scores | Opponent/event (current rank) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |||
| 18 | Sunday | W, 76–66 | vs. Davidson | |
| 24 | Saturday | L, 72–68 | at No. 20 Maryland | |
| November | Regular season | |||
| 2 | Monday | L, 91–79 | Oui-Play in Paris vs. No. 21 Oklahoma | 0–1 |
| 8 | Sunday | 5:30 | Ally Tipoff in Charlotte vs. No. 1 South Carolina | ESPN |
| 11 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. N.C. Central | ACCNE |
| 14 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at Penn in Palestra | ESPN+ |
| WBCA Showcase | Orlando | |||
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. Texas Tech | ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 5 p.m. | vs. Alabama | ESPN+ |
| ——— | ||||
| 24 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Gardner-Webb | ACCNE |
| 27 | Friday | 7 p.m. | vs. Army | ACCNE |
| 29 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | vs. Brown | ACCN |
| December | ||||
| 2 | Wednesday | 7:15 | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge vs. No. 9 LSU | ESPN2 |
| 6 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Elon | ACCN |
| 9 | Wednesday | 11 a.m. | vs. Winthrop | ACCNE |
| 13 | Sunday | 6 p.m. | vs. No. 25 N.C. State | ESPN |
| 17 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| 21 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Norfolk State | ACCN |
| 28 | Monday | 8 p.m. | vs. UNCW | ACCN |
| 31 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Syracuse | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Clemson | The CW |
| 7 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 10 | Sunday | 3 p.m. | at No. 7 Louisville | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 17 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | vs. Boston College | ACCN |
| 21 | Thursday | 8 p.m. ET | at California | ACCN |
| 24 | Sunday | 2 p.m. ET | at Stanford | ESPN, 2 or U |
| 28 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. No. 13 Notre Dame | ESPN |
| 31 | Sunday | 5 p.m. | vs. No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| February | ||||
| 4 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ACCNE |
| 7 | Sunday | 6 p.m. | vs. Virginia Tech | ACCN |
| 14 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at SMU | ACCNE |
| 18 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Pittsburgh | ACCN |
| 21 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Florida State | The CW |
| 25 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | vs. Virginia | ACCN |
| 28 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 3–7 | Wed.-Sun. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo via soonersports.com
