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After two non-conference victories last week, North Carolina fell one spot for the second consecutive week, and are No. 18 in the latest AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll. Kansas State (4–0) leapfrogged UNC, going from unranked to No. 16 after winning 65–58 at Iowa (4–1), which fell two spots to No. 5.
Dontrez Styles continued his productive weekend for Georgetown on Sunday, when Tyler Nickel had his best game since joining Virginia Tech and Caleb Love had a good all-around game in another romp for No. 4 Arizona.
CHAPEL HILL — It doesn’t have to be perfect for the No. 17 North Carolina’s women’s basketball team for it to be valuable. That was the case with Saturday afternoon’s 68–39 victory against visiting Elon at Carmichael Arena.
CHAPEL HILL — Before heading to Florida and tougher competition at the Gulf Coast Showcase next week, No. 17 North Carolina plays one more tuneup as the banged-up Tar Heels try to get closer to full strength. The Tar Heels (3–0) welcome Elon at 3 p.m. Saturday (ESPN3), which is off to a 1–2 start and lost at No. 14 N.C. State at 90–35 on Wednesday.
It was another night of career-highs for former Carolina players. On Wednesday, it was Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles and Rutgers’ Destiny Adams with big games — although both were in losses — one night after Justin McKoy scored a career-high 15 points in his Hawaii debut.
CHAPEL HILL — Today’s lesson for 1,500 kids from 15 schools at Field Trip Day: How to blowout and dominate an opponent with defense and team play. There were ear-splitting screams when UNC 3-pointers rippled the net. The students who packed Carmichael Arena on Wednesday enjoyed the education as the No. 17 Tar Heels schooled Hampton in a 62–32 victory in a game that started at 11 a.m.
After North Carolina’s women’s basketball team survived an upset bid against the toughest of the Tar Heels’ first four non-conference games, they play the weakest of those opponents on Wednesday. The energy will be high for the 11 a.m. Wednesday matchup against Hampton (ESPN3), with about 1,500 elementary and middle school kids filling most of the lower-arena seats at Carmichael Arena on Field Trip Day.
Carolina fell one spot to No. 17 in the AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll after a narrow victory over Davidson on Sunday. UNC (2–0), which beat Gardner-Webb 102–49 on Wednesday and escaped with a 74–70 win Sunday over upstart Davidson, is back in Carmichael Arena at 11 a.m. Wednesday to face Hampton (0–1), which lost 76–46 at Providence.
CHAPEL HILL — After taking down Wake Forest the day before, Davidson came to Carolina confidently determined to challenge another ACC team. The Wildcats gave No. 16 UNC their best shot with superior rebounding and 10 3-pointers. But the Tar Heels got the huge rebounds they needed in the final 18 seconds to hold on for a 74–70 victory Sunday night at Carmichael Arena.
North Carolina’s No. 16-ranked women’s basketball team faces the toughest of four non-conference home opponents to start the season on Sunday. But Davidson will also be playing on consecutive days, and must deal with the inside challenge of going up against junior Boston College transfer center Maria Gakdeng.
Going home is working out very well so far for Destiny Adams. Adams collected 17 points, 10 rebounds, a career-high five assists, five steals and three blocks (tying her career-high) for a 26.0 game score in 24 minutes as Rutgers rolled to an 86–43 home victory Thursday night over Wagner.
CHAPEL HILL — On the 30th anniversary season of North Carolina’s only women’s basketball national championship, the latest edition of the Tar Heels showed why they are a contender to earn a second one.
The most anticipated UNC women’s basketball season in years is finally about to start. With six former five-star recruits and five former four-star recruits on a roster that includes a mix of youth and experience, Coach Courtney Banghart has laid out plenty of challenges in non-conference play.
It was a good opening night for former Carolina players, with Destiny Adams and Dawson Garcia both putting up double-doubles, Caleb Love playing an efficient game in his Arizona debut and Kennedy Todd-Williams enjoying a solid debut at Ole Miss.
Two stars who started for their Carolina teams — guard Caleb Love and wing Kennedy Todd-Williams — headline 11 former Tar Heels who will play for other colleges this season. Love’s Arizona Wildcats and Todd-Williams’ Ole Miss Rebels are each ranked No. 12, and both quickly bonded with their new teammates on overseas trips last summer.
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