It's postseason time for the UNC women's basketball program.
That quest begins on Thursday morning in Greensboro against the Boston College Eagles in the second round of the annual ACC Tournament.
Coming off back-to-back losses to close out the regular season, the Tar Heels hope that the postseason serves as the fresh start they need. Boston College is coming off a thrilling first round victory over Syracuse, a game in which they trailed by as many as 17 points, as they'll also be motivated to potentially earn some revenge from an earlier loss to the Tar Heels this season.
Anything can happen come March, as both teams have the same goal in mind: live to see another day in the ACC Tournament.
2024-2025 Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall record: 26-5
Conference Record: 13-5
Home Record: 12-4
Away Record: 9-1
Neutral Site Record: 4-1
Boston College Eagles
Overall record: 16-16
Conference Record: 6-12
Home Record: 12-5
Away Record: 3-9
Neutral Site Record: 1-2
Key Players
North Carolina
Maria Gakdeng (Sr. Forward/Center) – 11.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks
Alyssa Ustby (Gr. Guard/Forward) – 10.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists
Reniya Kelly (So. Guard) – 10.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Boston College
T'yana Todd (Jr. Guard) - 14.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Dontavia Waggoner (Sr. Guard) - 13.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists
Teya Sidberry (Jr. Forward) - 11.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists
Last Meeting
On January 12, the UNC women's basketball team improved to 15-3 on the season when they defeated Boston College by a score of 80-67 at Carmichael Arena.
Trailing by three at the half, the Tar Heels made a second-half surge to defeat the visiting Eagles. Alyssa Ustby scored 12 of her 17 points over the final 20 minutes of action, helping North Carolina outscore Boston College 43-27 in the second half.
Reniya Kelly helped pace the offense with 14 points on four of seven shooting while Lanie Grant provided 25 strong minutes off the bench, contributing 12 points of her own.
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
Let Gakdeng Cook
This will likely be the final time Maria Gakdeng competes against her former team, as the UNC women's basketball program needs a big-time outing from their senior center.
Coming off an impressive performance against Virginia on 'Senior Day,' the Tar Heels have to make it a focal point to get Gakdeng involved offensively early and often. Late in the game, North Carolina seemed to shy away from Gakdeng in the post as they tried to have others beat Virginia's defense while the focus was on Gakdeng down low.
Especially if Kelly and Ustby aren't available once again, Gakdeng will need to have a big game (and will also need some around her to help carry the scoring load).
Something to Watch for
If you read the "Last Meeting" section, you'd notice that the two leading scorers for the UNC women's basketball program in that game haven't played recently due to injury.
Courtney Banghart has indicated that both Kelly and Ustby are closer to returning, but when exactly will that be?
Time will only tell.