A trip to the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship game is on the line this afternoon as the UNC women's basketball program matches up with Villanova in the semi-finals of the event.
The Tar Heels put together a strong performance against Ball State in their quarterfinal matchup while the Wildcats edged Texas A&M in the nightcap. Now, the two teams will square off in the Bahamas with a title game berth very much inr each.
North Carolina went to the Bahamas with the goal of winning the whole event. Now, they are two wins away from accomplishing that goal.
2024-2025 Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall Record: 4-1
Conference Record: 0-0
Home Record: 2-0
Away Record: 1-0
Neutral Site Record: 1-1
Villanova Wildcats
Overall Record: 4-1
Conference Record: 0-0
Home Record: 4-0
Away Record: 0-1
Neutral Site Record: 0-0
Key Players (with 2024-2025 stats)
North Carolina
Lexi Donarski (Gr. Guard)- 11.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Indya Nivar (Jr. Guard)- 11.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Alyssa Ustby (Gr. Forward)- 9.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists
Villanova Wildcats
Jasmine Bascoe (Fr. Guard)- 16.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists
Maddie Webber (So. Guard)- 13.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Denae Carter (Jr. Forward)- 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists
History
This will mark the third meeting all-time between the two programs, the first in over 20 years.
The UNC women's basketball program is 2-0 all-time against Villanova. In their last meeting, which occurred on November 27, 2004, the Tar Heels, ranked No. 5 in the country at the time, defeated the Wildcats, the No. 25-ranked squad in the country, by a score of 63-56 in the Lady Rebel Shootout in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
Offensively, the Tar Heels need to build on their success from beyond the three-point line. Against Ball State, the Tar Heels knocked down seven three-pointers, as four different Tar Heels connected from beyond-the-arc.
The hope is that the three-point shooting can improve even more as this team looks to fully showcase its ability to stretch the floor, making it easier to generate offense from all levels.
Defensively, the Tar Heels must disrupt Villanova's ball movement. The Wildcats turned the ball over only seven times in the win over Texas A&M, as North Carolina's physical defense needs to step up and interrupt the passing lanes.
If the Tar Heels can speed up the game and force Villanova to make some errant passes, North Carolina definitely would have an advantage.
Something to Watch For
Maria Gakdeng was sidelined once again, as Blanca Thomas filled her spot in the starting lineup.
Will Gakdeng be able to play, or will Courtney Banghart have to once again mix-and-match?
Additionally, could we see another starting lineup switch? With strong performances from Lanie Grant and Trayanna Crisp off the bench, will Banghart elect to go with the hot hands, or will the Tar Heels look for some consistency within the starting lineup?
However it shakes out, it's great to know this team features a good amount of depth to work with.
Projected Starters
No. 1 Alyssa Ustby (Gr. 6'1)
No. 10 Reniya Kelly (So. 5'7)
No. 20 Lexi Donarski (Gr. 6'0)
No. 24 Indya Nivar (Jr. 5'10)
No. 34 Blanca Thomas (Fr. 6'5)