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North Carolina’s loaded non-conference women’s basketball schedule includes another perennial national power this weekend, with other challenging layers added. No. 17 UConn (5–3) will give UNC (6–3) another measuring-stick game, but this one will be in front of a partisan Huskies crowd at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
CHAPEL HILL — No matter who you’re playing, you must keep your foot on the accelerator, a lesson UNCG delivered to No. 24 North Carolina on Wednesday night. The Spartans went from 16 down in the first quarter to trailing short-handed UNC by two at halftime, and they chopped a 15-point third-quarter deficit to five.
With every game, junior transfer Maria Gakdeng has a more significant impact for No. 24 North Carolina with her size, inside moves, defense and clutch free-throw shooting.
North Carolina held the No. 24 spot in the AP Top 25 women’s poll Monday after giving top-ranked South Carolina a scare. The Tar Heels (5–3) lost 65–58 Thursday in the ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge to the unbeaten Gamecocks (7–0), who won at Duke 77–61 on Sunday.
UNC gave top-ranked South Carolina a scare, and a big reason is that the Tar Heels held 6–7 center Kamilla Cardoso to six points. How did Carolina, led by Maria Gakdeng, do it?
CHAPEL HILL — Anybody who thought that top-ranked South Carolina would roll into Chapel Hill and coast to victory didn’t know the character and resolve of No. 24 North Carolina. UNC has a history of giving the national power some of its toughest games, and that was the case again Thursday when the Tar Heels led by as many as 11 points in the first half. They battled admirably before losing 65–58 in the inaugural ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge before a loud and sold-out Carmichael Arena.
The moment the game appeared on North Carolina’s schedule, it generated the most excitement for a women’s basketball home game in years. Carmichael Arena is sold out for Wednesday’s 7 p.m. showdown (ESPN) with No. 1 South Carolina (5–0), a program that has dominated the sport recently with two national championships in the last seven seasons and five Final Fours in the last nine seasons.
After losing two of three games at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla., North Carolina fell six spots to No. 24 in the latest AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll, with a home showdown against No. 1 South Carolina ahead on Thursday.
ESTERO, Fla. — North Carolina left Florida with two losses, some tough lessons and plenty of heartbreak after missing late opportunities. After Kierra Adams’ driving layup put Florida Gulf Coast up by one with seven seconds left, Deja Kelly’s potential game-winning shot missed and Lexi Donarski’s follow shot went in a split-second too late.
ESTERO, Fla. — When you try to play a basketball tournament in a minor-league hockey arena, there will be issues, and the players have had to deal with them during the Gulf Coast Showcase.
ESTERO, Fla. — It might excite Tar Heels fans to know that iconic Iowa star Caitlyn Clark once wore a Carolina uniform and was a huge UNC fan. That uniform, though, was a Harrison Barnes jersey.
ESTERO, Fla. — Bad shooting finally caught up with No. 18 North Carolina on a day when that trend was almost as frustrating to the Tar Heels as the officiating and the frigid hockey arena.
ESTERO, Fla. — Carolina’s shooting was as cold as the hockey arena for most of Friday afternoon before shots finally fell and the No. 18 Tar Heels staged an amazing fourth-quarter comeback. The Tar Heels trailed by as many as 13 points but finished the game with a 20–6 run, taking the lead in the final two minutes on their way to a thrilling 54–51 victory over Vermont in the first round of the Gulf Coast Showcase at a chilly Hertz Arena.
As expected, the No. 18 Carolina women swept their four non-conference home games to start the season, but it didn’t always go smoothly for the Tar Heels.
It’s a busy Thanksgiving week for Carolina athletics, and many fans will probably plan their holiday schedule around watching the Tar Heels play. Here’s a guide to when and where to watch.
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