Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Women’s Basketball set to face Ohio St in Round of 32

By Drew Garrett

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 02: Deja Kelly #25 of the North Carolina Tar Heels moves the ball against the Clemson Tigers during the first half of their game in the second round of the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 02, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 02: Deja Kelly #25 of the North Carolina Tar Heels moves the ball against the Clemson Tigers during the first half of their game in the second round of the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 02, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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After a strong win Saturday night, the UNC women’s basketball team faces a quick turnaround as they are set to face Ohio State.

Survive and advance. That is just what the Tar Heels did Saturday night.

A late shot from Deja Kelly gave North Carolina the edge over St. Johns while punching their ticket to the next round of the NCAA tournament.

UNC’s next opponent will be none other than the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Ohio State has had an excellent 2022-2023 season. The Buckeyes won their first 19 games and finished the year as a top-15 team in the nation.

Monday’s matchup will be a high-scoring affair with two of the country’s top offensive teams. For North Carolina to come away with a win, here is what they will need to do.

Key to Victory

Ohio State is playing at a rapid pace. On the season, the Buckeyes are averaging north of 80 points per game and collectively shoot an impressive 34 percent from deep.

Senior guard Taylor Mikesell is the leader of this offense. She is averaging a team-high in points with 17.2 while shooting 40.6 percent from three.

On Monday, North Carolina needs to primarily focus on Mikesell while also aggressively defending the perimeter. In all of Ohio State’s losses, these two factors have been the reason for their poor performance.

While this task is far from easy, it would give the Tar Heels a big advantage. This could very well be the difference between advancing to the Sweet 16 and going home.

Something to Watch

As mentioned previously, Ohio State tends to speed up the game and play at a high pace. This will benefit North Carolina, and star guard Deja Kelly. Her performance Monday will be something to keep an eye on.

In a high-scoring game earlier this season against Oregon, Kelly delivered an impressive performance scoring 17 points and dishing out 7 assists.

A similar performance could and should be expected from Deja tomorrow night. The junior guard’s performance may help the Tar Heels reach their second-straight Sweet 16.

Last Meeting

In their last meeting, North Carolina fell short in Columbus, losing 76-69.

The game took place in 2018 and was part of the annual ACC/Big10 challenge. Stephanie Watts led the way with 15 points, while Taylor Koenen and Paris Kea were not too far behind with 14 each.

Despite the loss, UNC still leads the all-time series with Ohio State, 5-3.

Projected Starting Lineup

F-Anya Poole

G-Kennedy Todd- Williams

F-Alyssa Ustby

G-Deja Kelly

G-Eva Hodgson

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