UNC women’s basketball looking to bounce back against Virginia Tech

On New Year’s Day, the UNC women’s basketball program will look to start off 2023 with a big win over No. 7 Virginia Tech.

After two brutal losses, the Tar Heels are desperately looking to get back on track.

North Carolina fell in a tight battle against Florida State Thursday, as they now sit at 0-1 in conference play.

However, this Sunday can be a fresh start for UNC.

They will have the chance to take down a top-10 opponent in Virginia Tech. The Hokies (11-2) will be a tough opponent for the Tar Heels.

Virginia Tech is tough both offensively and defensively and has put together some impressive performances this season.

Nonetheless, they are beatable. Last Thursday Clemson defeated Virginia Tech 64-59. The Tigers led from start to finish and caused many problems for the Hokies.

Starting 0-2 in conference play is not ideal for the Tar Heels, meaning they must get a win tomorrow. Here is what they will need to do to beat the Hokies.

Key to Victory

The key for North Carolina is simple: Rebound the basketball.

In Virginia Tech’s most recent game, Clemson seemed to control and win the rebound battle. While the Tigers didn’t necessarily dominate the stat sheet, they got rebounds when they mattered.

Clemson would regularly grab offensive rebounds, which would lead to easy buckets in the paint. This helped Clemson jump to an early lead and maintain it throughout the game.

Rebounds are especially important against this Virginia Tech team, as they look to push the ball and get points in transition. Limiting those types of possessions and forcing the Hokies to run their half-court offense will be beneficial for the Tar Heels.

In the half-court, Virginia Tech is always looking to get a bucket inside. They will look to feed their bigs either on the block or the elbow and will cut to the basket in hopes of an easy layup.

While it won’t be easy, if North Carolina can defend the paint, they will be putting themselves in a great position to win.

Something to Watch

Virginia Tech could not handle Clemson’s pressure in their loss Thursday. The Tigers ran a full-court press, and the Hokies consistently were not able to beat it and turned the ball over many times.

It will be interesting to see if UNC comes out Sunday with a similar approach.

The Tar Heels may press the Hokies right out of the gate or in critical moments. If Virginia Tech continues to struggle against it, it could be the turning point for North Carolina and the difference maker in this contest.

While we haven’t seen anything like it all year, this could be the perfect time to pull out this type of coverage.

Last Meeting

This will be a revenge game for North Carolina.

These two programs last met on March 4, 2022, in the ACC Tournament.

The Tar Heels held a slight lead early, but Virginia Tech came back, and the two teams battled all four quarters.

Virginia Tech ultimately defeated UNC in overtime, 87-80.

Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby were both huge for the Tar Heels, both scoring a team-high 18 points.

Despite this loss, North Carolina still leads the all-time series 21-12.

Projected Starting Lineup

F-Anya Poole

G-Kennedy Todd- Williams

F-Alyssa Ustby

G-Deja Kelly

G-Eva Hodgson