Carmichael Comments: Pitt/Virginia Roundup

CARMICHAEL COMMENTS — Inside Carolina Women's Basketball: Edition 18
By: Matt Krause (@MattKrausePxP)

VIRGINIA WIN RADIO HIGHLIGHTS

Meetings.

If you're someone out there that enjoys meetings, then, well, more power to you. Most folks don't enjoy spending time gathered around a table bouncing ideas off of their colleagues. But for the Carolina women's basketball team, perhaps a meeting was just what the doctor ordered.

It's no secret that the last month for the Tar Heels has been a bit of a roller coaster. On one hand, you have the wins against Notre Dame and NC State, spoiling a No. 1 ranking and an undefeated season, respectively. Then, there's games like the setback to Duke on Feb. 7 and the egg-laying on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. In the moments after the Tar Heels were the victim of Pitt's first conference win of the season, the team gathered for a meeting.

"We hit an all-time low after our last game against Pitt," Carolina Assistant Coach Sylvia Crawley said. "We met with the players. They asked if the coaches could leave so they could say some things they needed to say as sisters."

Crawley and her colleagues obliged. But first, some preparations had to take place.

"I set them up. They had a 360-degree meeting where they got feedback from all angles around them. I said 'it's going to be uncomfortable but you have to speak your truth in love.'"

The meeting occurred, and the results were never shared. However, the public could see some of the efforts in a 70-53 win on Sunday against Virginia at Carmichael.

"Since that time, they've pulled together and figure out what they wanted," Crawley said. "I'm just happy they put it all together today. That's what 'team' is all about."

Here's some other notes from the week that was…

Alumni Day
Sunday's game was played amongst a special backdrop at Carmichael Arena: Alumni Day. 2019 marks a special pair of anniversaries at Carolina: 35 years since the 1984 team won the school's first ACC title, and 25 years since the 1994 team won the school's first and only NCAA National Championship. The entire 1994 team came back to campus this weekend and was honored at a special gala on Saturday night, then was recognized on the floor after the third quarter on Sunday.

For Head Coach Sylvia Hatchell, the presence of that special 1994 group has had an influence on the 2019 team.

"It has just been such a spirit of oneness and togetherness here since they arrived," Hatchell said. "They don't see each other that much, but when they are together they have a great time. I think they feel like they can conquer anything, and they have no fears."

Bennett's Outbreak
Shayla Bennett set a new career scoring record in the loss at Pitt, scoring 25 of the Tar Heels' 78 points in the setback. She shot 50% from the field (8-for-16) and from three (3-for-6), while putting forth a 6-for-7 performance from the free throw line. Bennett followed that up with another double-figure scoring game on Sunday, chipping in 10 points. The South Carolinian credits her efforts at the other end of the floor with leading to her scoring.

"I think my defense leads to my offense," she said. "My team and coaches trust me to make the right decisions with the ball, so it's all just kind of coming together for me."

Additionally, Bennett had nine rebounds against Virginia, one shy of her first points-rebounds double-double in her Carolina career. With Stephanie Watts spending the whole second half on the bench due to a hyperextended knee, Bennett had to crash the glass a bit more than usual.

"When Leah Church, comes in, it's my duty to get offensive rebounds," Bennett said. "The last couple of games, we've been getting outrebounded by our opponent, so I just took it as my duty to help Bailey as much as I could to get rebounds down there."

Return to the Big Dance?
The elephant in the room since Carolina's win over Notre Dame has been whether or not the Tar Heels can return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. With three regular season games left, Carolina sits at 16-11 and 7-6 in the ACC, but has an RPI in the top 30 and a strength of schedule in the top five nationally.

So where does that put the Tar Heels? Not there. Yet.

"We're expecting to be in postseason, but we still got to get a few more wins. We've got some big wins, but it's numbers game now, as far as how many," Hatchell said.

Translation: if the season ended now, the resume is in good shape. But the win total needs to swell beyond 16.

"We've got three more conference games, and we've got to play strong the rest of the way out, and also make a really good showing in the ACC Tournament," Hatchell said.

Up Next
The Tar Heels will continue their three-game ACC homestand, Carolina's first since 2004, with a pair of games in Carmichael Arena. First up, it's the final first-time opponent of the season, the Boston College Eagles. BC will bring a 3-10 ACC mark to Carmichael Arena for a 7:00 p.m. game on Thursday. Catch the game on the Tar Heel Sports Network via 97.9 FM/1360 AM WCHL, or worldwide on GoHeels.com, the GoHeels app, or TuneIn (search "Tar Heel Sports Network").

Then on Sunday, it's the rematch with NC State. The Wolfpack head to Carmichael for a high noon tipoff in a game that will be nationally telecast on ESPNU.

These are two games with implications for the postseason. The Boston College game is similar to the games against Pitt and Virginia — a game where the Tar Heels' at-large resume could be damaged more than bolstered. It's imperative for Carolina to take care of business against the Eagles. Then, NC State presents a chance for another signature win and a direct validation of the February 3 win. Plus, it's two potential ACC wins to help with ACC tournament seeding.

In the meantime, we'll have another edition of Sylvia Hatchell Live on Tuesday at 6 p.m. from the Carolina Club. Come on out and join us at the Club to hear from Coach Hatchell! If you can't join us in person, listen live on GoHeels.com, the GoHeels app, or TuneIn (search "Tar Heel Sports Network"). Also, listen at 8:00 p.m. on WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM and Chapelboro.com.

That's all for now! Go Heels!

-Matt