The defensive effort for the North Carolina women’s basketball team was fitting all the way through its ACC road opener Sunday afternoon. The No. 17 Tar Heels were relentless in churning out a 69–60 victory against Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.

HAPEL HILL — If this is what’s referred to as a tune-up, the North Carolina women’s basketball team is well-oiled for what’s to come. The No. 19 Tar Heels operated in good order in their final non-conference game, blasting visiting Norfolk State 90–47 on Saturday afternoon at Carmichael Arena.

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina’s defense has been one of the toughest in the country all season but met its match against undefeated Georgia Tech. The No. 20 Jackets scored the most points against No. 14 UNC this season and had control all afternoon after falling behind 7–0, holding on for an 82–76 victory in an ACC opener Sunday.

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina is shooting down the game plans for beating the Tar Heels that some teams leaned on last season.You can no longer stop Carolina’s perimeter shooting by shutting down Lexi Donarski or sag off Alyssa Ustby on the perimeter so that you can pack the post players around center Maria Gakdeng.

No. 16 North Carolina pulled off a resounding 72–53 upset win over No. 14 Kentucky on Thursday night, and we examine the ball-screen coverages that UNC used against Georgia Amoore.

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina showed the women’s basketball world on Thursday that the Tar Heels are one of the country’s best teams. With balanced scoring and UNC’s relentless defense, the No. 16 Tar Heels earned an early-season signature victory by handing No. 14 Kentucky its first loss, 72–53, in the ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge.

After two impressive victories last week, North Carolina still didn’t move up in the latest AP Top 25 women’s poll, holding at No. 16.

CHAPEL HILL — After several challenging opponents, No. 16 North Carolina returned home for the first time in 22 days for some post-Thanksgiving feasting against a winless team. N.C. Central was helpless to hold off the onslaught as the Tar Heels gorged on perimeter-shooting prowess, inside domination, tough defense and board dominance in a 119–43 victory Friday afternoon over the Eagles in Carmichael Arena.

The 3-point shooting touch was a nice bonus for the North Carolina women’s basketball team on Monday. The No. 16 Tar Heels had another impressive defense performance, but the long-range connections might garner the most attention from a 69–39 romp past Indiana in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.

A heavy dose of stellar defensive work defined North Carolina’s semifinal victory in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The No. 16 Tar Heels kept Villanova in check in a 53-36 result Sunday at Imperial Arena in Nassau, Bahamas.