Keeping It Heel
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UNC Women’s Basketball: PK Invitational Bracket Set

By Mark DeMott

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 25: Deja Kelly #25 of the North Carolina Tar Heels goes to the basket as Zia Cooke #1 of the South Carolina Gamecocks defends during the first half in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 Round at Greensboro Coliseum Complex on March 25, 2022 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 25: Deja Kelly #25 of the North Carolina Tar Heels goes to the basket as Zia Cooke #1 of the South Carolina Gamecocks defends during the first half in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 Round at Greensboro Coliseum Complex on March 25, 2022 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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The UNC women’s basketball program will be spending Thanksgiving weekend at the Phil Knight Invitational, battling it out against some quality opponents.

Fans of the UNC basketball programs will have a lot of basketball to be thankful for this November.

North Carolina will be sending both its men’s and women’s teams to Portland as a part of the Phil Knight Invitational Tournament from November 24-27th.

While Hubert Davis’ squad will be playing three games as part of an eight-team event, Courtney Banghart’s team will be lacing it up twice in a four-team tourney.  The UNC women’s basketball program will play its first game on Thanksgiving and the second on the following Sunday.

The Tar Heels will open play against an Oregon team that is currently ranked 20th in ESPN’s Way Too Early Top 25.  The Ducks finished last season 20-12 and earned a five seed in the NCAA Tournament before they were upset by Belmont in double overtime in the first round.

On Sunday, Carolina will play in either the championship or third-place game. They will match up with either Iowa State or Michigan State, depending on the outcomes of the opening round contests.

While the Spartans finished last season with a .500 record and aren’t projected to appear in the preseason polls, the Cyclones are currently ranked10th overall by ESPN.  With lots of talent returning from a team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, the Cyclones will present a big challenge for Deja Kelly and the Tar Heels if they meet in round two.

As a program on the rise, both on the court and on the recruiting trail, the UNC women’s basketball program should enter Portland with lots of energy and momentum.  Winning two games against high-caliber teams will be a tall task, but if there’s anything these ladies taught the nation last season, it was to underestimate them at your own risk.

Needless to say, UNC basketball fans will be looking to end the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with tournament titles from both the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

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