Covering Carolina sports beyond just men's basketball and football — with the most complete women's basketball coverage
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Scoring droughts that had been too common all season and the inability to hit the defensive boards down the stretch meant a sudden end to North Carolina’s season and a frustrating, painful finish to senior center Maria Gakdeng’s career.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Here is video and a complete transcript from North Carolina’s postgame press conference at Legacy Arena, with Coach Courtney Banghart, Lexi Donarski and Alyssa Ustby, after the Tar Heels’ 47-38 loss to Duke on Friday in the Sweet 16. In addition, there’s a video of intereviews in the dressing room with Maria Gakdeng, Indya Nivar and Reniya Kelly.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Playing during the second weekend of the NCAA tournament means double duty for coaches who must navigate the transfer portal while still preparing their teams for the Sweet 16. The women’s basketball transfer portal opened Tuesday, and with 90 players having entered in the first three days, there’s plenty of talent out there to recruit. Florida State star Ta’Niya Latson is reportedly about to add her name.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Reniya Kelly has a lot of championship memories of playing at Legacy Arena, which is only 20 minutes away from her home in Hoover.
The most emotional was her last high school championship game two years ago when she led Hoover High School to a state Class 7-A championship.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — North Carolina and Duke have played 110 times, but never on a bigger stage and with stakes as high as they will be Friday. It’s a product of the ACC getting eight teams into the field that the first NCAA tournament meeting between the rivals will take place in the Sweet 16, set for 2:30 p.m. ET Friday (ESPN) at Legacy Arena.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Here is video and a full transcript as No. 3-seed North Carolina met with the media on Thursday ahead of its Friday Sweet 16 clash with No. 2-seed Duke. For the Tar Heels, it was Coach Courtney Banghart, Alyssa Ustby and Reniya Kelly at the press conference. In addition, there’s video of dressing room interviews with Lexi Donarski, Indya Nivar, Maria Gakdeng, Lanie Grant & Grace Townsend.
While enthusiastically making the transition from the disappointing end to the season to building the roster for next season, North Carolina coach Hubert Davis lamented how dramatically college basketball has changed in recent years. He made the comments during the final “Hubert Davis Live” radio show of the season on Wednesday night at Top of the Hill restaurant in Chapel Hill, covering a range of topics, from the differences in his postseason meetings with players to the death threats players receive after bad games to how the roster has to get taller.
Caleb Love smiled when asked Wednesday what he remembers about the 3-point shot over Mark Williams to give North Carolina a win over Duke in a national semifinal game in 2022. “I made the shot,” said Love, who is 4–3 against the Blue Devils after his Arizona team lost at home to the Blue Devils a 69–55 on Nov. 22.
Elliot Cadeau still appears in a Marriot Bonvoy ad in UNC gear, but he won’t be wearing a Carolina uniform anymore. Cadeau, who joined the UNC program a year early and played two seasons, will enter the transfer portal, according to multiple reports, a move that had long been rumored. This leaves UNC without a point guard on its current roster, making it crucial that the Tar Heels get a top point guard in the portal in addition to the need for a top center.
CHAPEL HILL — Here is a video and a complete transcript of North Carolina’s postgame press conference, with Coach Courtney Banghart, Alyssa Ustby and Indya Nivar, after defeating West Virginia 48-47 to earn the program’s 19th Sweet 16 berth
CHAPEL HILL — Alyssa Ustby stood on top of the scorer’s table, celebrating with the fans after she made her last home game — 1,580 days after her first — one to remember. It wasn’t always pretty, but it sure was sweet for No. 3-seed North Carolina, thanks to suffocating defense in the fourth quarter.
For the 10th and final time, Caleb Love will go up against Duke, thanks to his heroics on Sunday. Love, who earned All-Big 12 honors in his fifth and final college season, repeatedly hit mammoth shots down the stretch and scored 29 points in No. 4-seed Arizona’s 87–83 victory over No. 5-seed Oregon in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Seattle.
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina has played its share of rock fights against tough defensive teams, and it may be thrown into another on Monday night. The No. 3-seed and No. 12-ranked Tar Heels routinely win with tough defense but will face a No. 6-seed West Virginia at 7 p.m. Monday (ESPN2) also known for its defense in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
CHAPEL HILL — Uncommon, unconscious shooting calls for creative celebrations on the bench. That happened on Saturday when UNC graduate guard Lexi Donarski scored five 3-pointers in the third quarter of the No. 3-seed Tar Heels’ 70–49 victory Saturday in the first round of the NCAA tournament over Oregon State.
CHAPEL HILL — If there was ever any chance that Oregon State could pull the upset, graduate UNC guard Lexi Donarski shot them down — repeatedly — on a day that Alyssa Ustby became the program’s all-time leading rebounder. Donarski was the catalyst in delivering a third-quarter knockout with five 3-pointers as the No. 3-seed Tar Heels turned a two-point halftime lead into a thumping and coasted to a 70–49 victory over the No. 14-seed Beavers in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Carmichael Arena.
tarheeltribune.com 