Carmichael Comments: Hard Hats In Paradise

Carmichael Comments: Inside Carolina Women's Basketball

Vol. 2, Edition 5: Undefeated

By: Matt Krause

@MattKrausePxP

Mention a trip to a luxury resort in Cancun, Mexico, and the mind conjures up a wide array of imagery. Palm trees. Swimming pools. Private beaches. And sunshine — lots and lots of sunshine.

Notice what's not on that list? Work. So it's a bit out of place to hear about a hard hat making the trip to Cancun. But that's exactly the metaphor Courtney Banghart used to describe the effort and hard work her Tar Heels would need to be successful on the court in the Cancun Challenge on Thursday and Friday.

The leader of the Carolina women's basketball program certainly had a point — the 4-0 Tar Heels had steamrolled a quartet of mid-majors in Carmichael Arena, but now had to battle Temple and Missouri on a neutral court. The Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya was the jobsite, and the building project was ready for another step.

Job complete. Foundation strengthened.

Carolina picked up a pair of 13-point wins in Cancun, handling Temple 71-58 and Missouri 82-69.

"It was neat for us to be on the road and really band together," Banghart said. "It was neat to see that when the opponent got better so did we, and that's a good thing. Two games in less than 24 hours is tough, and it's neat to see us be competitive, and not just competitive but accountable. I thought they were both."

Carolina banded together on both ends of the floor. On the defensive side, a Temple team that received nearly 75% of its scoring from three standout players (Ashley Jones, Marissa Mackins, and Mia Davis) saw just 25 total points from the trio thanks to a constantly improving defensive Carolina team.

"That was our number one key defensively — to not let three beat five," Banghart said. "To hold them to 25 was a great heroic effort defensively."

On the offensive side, the Tar Heels upped the offensive output to 82 points on Friday against Missouri by canning 11 three-pointers, the second-highest number of made threes on the season. Banghart credits the long-range barrage to offensive adjustments when opposing teams attempt to limit Carolina's potent inside game.

"We just have to be aggressive," she said. "With Janelle (Bailey) and Malu (Tshitenge) in the interior, (opponents) have to make choices. The choices they made this week were to really take away the interior. We tell our wings to be aggressive."

With numerous successes all around, and now quality wins away from home to show for it, Banghart has noticed an increased sense of confidence and cohesion among her players.

"My guys played really fearlessly, they were prepared and they were accountable," she said.

Here's what else caught my eye this week…

Muhammad Named MVP

The Tar Heels' 2-0 week in Cancun drew the attention of tournament officials, who selected the all-tournament team for the Riviera Division and recognized Carolina senior guard Madinah Muhammad as the Tar Heels' representative for the group. Not only was Muhammad picked for the all-tournament team, she was named MVP of the Riviera Division portion of the tournament. The Chicago native scored 20 points against Temple and followed it up with 24 against Missouri on Friday.

"She just has to continue to understand that what this team needs her to do is to stretch the floor offensively and shoot it well," Banghart said. "She wants to help this team to win in her senior year."

The efforts in Cancun certainly fit the description of helping the team win.

Quick Turnaround

Though Carolina was in Cancun for five nights, the games against the Owls and Tigers took place less than 24 hours apart — a 9:00 tip on Thursday night against Temple and a 6:30 tip on Friday against Mizzou. The limited time between game action forced the Tar Heels to get creative to ensure bodies were fresh for the back half of the Cancun Challenge.

"The quick turnaround is hard on the staff because you're trying to make sure the game plan is solid and the prep is solid," Banghart explained.

As for the team, following a late night game, the players got a good night sleep and spent time in the pool to recover on Friday morning. The aquatic interlude was followed by a more-intense-than normal film session and shootaround.

"A lot of Mizzou in the last 20 hours," Banghart remarked before the game.

Tight Rotation

In the Temple win on Thursday night, Carolina utilized a six-player rotation — the starting quintet of Taylor Koenen, Madinah Muhammad, Malu Tshitenge, Shayla Bennett, and Janelle Bailey and 19 minutes off the bench from Kennady Tucker.

This tighter rotation was a new look compared to the eight-player or nine-player look Carolina displayed in the first four games of the season. But for Banghart and her staff, the momentum and flow of the game dictated the tighter personnel grouping.

"That first group really bounced on (Temple), so we wanted to keep that momentum," Banghart said. "Then by the third quarter they put up a little bit of a run so we had to use our best defensive guys to get through that. Then you're asking subs to go in with four minutes to play in a huge game, and the tide was against us. That wouldn't have been fair to them."

Up Next

The Tar Heels will play a pair of home games this week amidst the backdrop of end-of-semester exams in Chapel Hill. First, Carolina welcomes Illinois to Carmichael for the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Thursday night. The Fighting Illini are 6-1 on the season, the third under coach Nancy Fahey. Carolina and Illinois have not played since 2013, when the Tar Heels won 87-51 in a game played, coincidentally enough, at the Cancun Challenge. Carolina is 5-0 all-time against Illinois, and will look for 6-0 on Thursday at 6 p.m. Our Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show at 5:30 to get you set for tip. As always, catch our THSN call on the TuneIn app and website (search "North Carolina Tar Heels" or use this link). You can also find the broadcast on GoHeels.com or the GoHeels app.

Following the Illinois game, it's a local showdown as North Carolina Central makes the short trip from Durham to Carmichael on Sunday at 2 p.m. The MEAC's Eagles will be playing Carolina for the seventh time in program history, and the Tar Heels have won the previous six. Coverage on the THSN begins at 1:30 with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show.

In the meantime, make plans to join us at the Carolina Club on Monday at noon for another edition of Courtney Banghart Live! We'll recap the Cancun trip and look ahead to this week's home games. The show is open to the public. If you can't join us in person, catch the show on the Tar Heel Voices podcast feed on Tuesday morning, or on air on WCHL 97.9 FM at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday night.

That's all for now! Go Heels!

-Matt