UNC Women's Basketball returns home for post-Thanksgiving contest vs. NC Central
Following their Battle 4 Atlantis tournament title, the UNC women's basketball program returns home for a post-Thanksgiving contest against North Carolina Central.
The Tar Heels come in as overwhelming favorites, especially considering the brutal start to the season for NC Central. As North Carolina is playing its best basketball at this point in the early season, the Eagles are probably not looking forward to their meeting with the Tar Heels.
UNC. 441. 2:00 PM EST. 0-8. 2418. ACC Extra. Friday, November 29, 2024. 6-1.
The two teams have one common opponent: North Carolina A&T. The UNC women's basketball program defeated North Carolina A&T by a score of 66-47 on November 12, while North Carolina Central lost to them by a score of 62-39 just a few days ago.
Things haven't been great for the Eagles by any means, as the Tar Heels hope they can add to their struggles when they arrive in Chapel Hill on Friday afternoon.
2024-2025 Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall Record: 6-1
Conference Record: 0-0
Home Record: 2-0
Away Record: 1-0
Neutral Site Record: 3-1
NC Central Eagles
Overall Record: 0-8
Conference Record: 0-0
Home Record: 0-2
Away Record: 0-6
Neutral Site Record: 0-0
Key Players (with 2024-2025 stats)
North Carolina
Lexi Donarski (Gr. Guard)- 10.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists
Indya Nivar (Jr. Guard)- 10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Alyssa Ustby (Gr. Forward)- 10.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists
NC Central
Kyla Bryant (Jr. Guard)- 12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists
Morgan Callahan (Jr. Forward)- 11.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists
Shakiria Foster (Sr. Guard)- 6.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists
History
The UNC women's basketball program has won all seven contests they've played against NC Central, all of which have been hosted in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
In the last meeting, one that occurred on December 8, 2019, the Tar Heels picked up a decisive 92-53 victory.
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
The key to this one should be rather simple: avoid a hangover game.
After winning the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, the Tar Heels are riding high. Now, they must keep their foot on the pedal and continue growing as a team, as games like this can be great tune-ups to work on some things.
Of course, never overlook or underestimate an opponent!
North Carolina needs to get out to a strong start and really put the pressure on NC Central to keep up. Take care of business early and take control of the game from the onset.
Something to Watch For
In the Bahamas, Courtney Banghart began shortening her rotation a bit. We saw Jordan Zubich essentially get removed from the mix while Maria Gakdeng has been sidelined due to injury.
Maybe not in this particular game, but moving forward, how short does the Tar Heels rotation go?
I, for one, think this group can go 11 deep. There's a lot of talent on this roster!
When Gakdeng does return, how does that even impact the rotation, given she'll once again play an extended amount of minutes.
Essentially, Donarski, Ustby and Kelly will play a lot of minutes (if healthy). The rest is very much up in the air.
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)