University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Hosts Liberty Saturday In NCAA Tournament
March 19, 2015 | Women's Basketball
Carolina (24-8) is the fourth seed in the Greensboro Region, while the Flames are the 13th seed in the region. Liberty (26-6) won the Big South Tournament title for the 16th time in 19 seasons.
The other game of the day features 5th-seed Ohio State (23-10) from the Big Ten against 12th-seed James Madison (29-3) from the Colonial Athletic Association. Tip off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
North Carolina is the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year and the eighth time overall. The Tar Heels have been a top-4 seed in 20 of the 27 appearances in the Big Dance.
Carolina, 15th in the AP poll and No. 12 in the Coaches' poll, is the highest ranked team playing in Chapel Hill this weekend. Ohio State is No. 23 in both national polls, while James Madison is receiving votes in each poll this week.
UNC owns a 46-24 record in 25 previous NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 43-20 mark in 21 appearances under the guidance of head coach Sylvia Hatchell.
The Tar Heels have made the NCAA Tournament 13 of the last 14 seasons, and have advanced to at least the regional semifinal game in 14 of its last 19 appearances, most recently reaching the regional final in 2014.
Carolina is led by a pair of first team All-ACC selections in sophomores Allisha Gray and Stephanie Mavunga, who average 15.7 and 14.2 points per game, respectively. The scoring then balances out with Brittany Rountree (7.5), Jessica Washington (7.5), Jamie Cherry (6.7), Latifah Coleman (6.3), Danielle Butts (5.3) and N'Dea Bryant (4.9).
Liberty is also paced on offense with two double-figure scorers: Ashley Rininger (12.6) and Karly Buer (11.5). For the second straight year, Rininger, a redshirt junior post player, earned first team All-Big South honors, while Buer landed on the league's second team.
The two winners on Saturday will face off Monday at 6:30 p.m., with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line and a trip to Greensboro, N.C., next week.
