Covering Carolina athletics beyond men’s basketball and football, with dedicated reporting on women’s basketball and baseball, in addition to covering other sports that rarely draw media attention
CHAPEL HILL — Kate Harpring arrived at Carolina with the sort of lofty expectations that come with being at the top of your freshman class nationally. The talented 5–10 guard will be a star on a veteran team that comes off back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances, and Coach Courtney Banghart quickly declared her probably the fastest player on the team.
Tar Heels fans have long known how to celebrate a win, a rivalry, and pretty much anything involving the color Carolina blue. Now, for the first time, they can toast to it with something that shows their school spirit via official spirits. UNC Athletics has teamed up with North Carolina-based Cape Fear Distillery to launch the Spirit of Carolina Collection, the university’s first officially licensed line of Tar Heels-branded spirits.
CHAPEL HILL — If there is a byword as North Carolina enters a women’s basketball season flush with talent and high expectations, it’s flexibility. Coach Courtney Banghart’s eighth Tar Heel team has plenty of lead guards after depending heavily last season on Elena Aarnisalo, who has returned to UCLA. Banghart said the shift reflects both a broader evolution in the sport and a specific need she identified when Aarnisalo carried much of the offensive burden down the stretch a year ago.
North Carolina women’s basketball released its non-conference schedule for 2026-27, and it includes nine opponents visiting Carmichael Arena along with a schedule of high-profile road tests to open the season.
North Carolina’s women’s basketball team will head to Walt Disney World for a pair of games the week before Thanksgiving.
GREENSBORO — Deja Kelly has played many times at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, but on Thursday she was in front of many screaming kids on camp day in the more intimate Novant Health Fieldhouse. “I feel good,” she said after her Charlotte Crown’s 85–75 victory over the Greensboro Groove. “It’s good to be out here playing. Good to be back in the state of North Carolina, so that’s always fun. This is a great league. It’s been a lot of fun.”
A day after the Atlanta Dream waived rookie guard Indya Nivar, the team signed her to a developmental contract to bring her back on their roster.
Alyssa Ustby’s rookie pro season in Italy began with grocery adventures and ended with a new chapter in a career built on grit, consistent training habits and a willingness to try anything. Fans marveled at the versatility of the most prolific rebounder in UNC program history, and she showed more of it in the Serie A league, returning to her high school roots as a point guard.
Tar Heel Tribune is adding another way for Carolina fans to follow the Tar Heels, launching the “Tar Heel Tribune Podcast” with hosts Britt Whitmire and R.L. Bynum.
A full day of memorable Carolina victories, from postseason thrills and rivalry showdowns to a memorable Seth Trimble shot, will take over ACC Network on Wednesday as part of the channel’s annual school takeover programming.
Jaelynn Murray Burrus’ Carolina story has already taken her from player to captain, from graduate student to staff member, and now into one of the program’s key leadership roles at a pivotal moment in college athletics. After three years on North Carolina’s women’s basketball staff as assistant director of recruiting operations, Murray Burrus was elevated Thursday to Director of Women’s Basketball, giving the former Tar Heel forward an expanded role in a program she has helped shape from multiple vantage points.
Italian basketball fans found out what Carolina fans already knew — Alyssa Ustby is a talented and versatile player, and proved it by piling up the postseason awards. In her first professional season, the 6–1 Ustby earned Eurobasket.com Player of the Year honors in Serie A playing for Panthers Roseto after averaging a double-double over 24 games last season.
Deja Kelly built a reputation during her five college seasons as a reliable scorer, and on opening night of a new professional venture, she carried that scoring instinct with her. Kelly collected 31 points in the Charlotte Crown’s 103–95 road win against the Jacksonville Waves on opening night of the inaugural Upshot League game, giving the league an immediate showcase performance from the former North Carolina and Oregon star.
Former North Carolina guard Indya Nivar’s WNBA dream has been realized, as she secured a spot on the Atlanta Dream’s opening‑night roster, which the team announced Thursday afternoon.
Former UNC guard Liza Astakhova has committed to continue her college career at Brigham Young. The Russian guard, who played sparingly at Carolina last season as a freshman, made the announcement Thursday in an Instagram post.
