Carmichael Comments: ACC Analysis

CARMICHAEL COMMENTS: Inside Carolina Women's Basketball
2019-20 ACC Schedule Release
By: Matt Krause (@MattKrausePxP)

With excitement continuing to build around Courtney Banghart's first season leading the Tar Heel Women's Basketball program, the journey ahead became a bit more tangible today.

The ACC released the 2019-20 women's basketball conference schedule, so Carolina at long last knows the opponents, dates, and times of Banghart's inaugural conference campaign on the bench. Here's some important takeaways:

1) 16+2=18

The ACC has added a pair of conference games to the women's basketball schedule moving forward, so teams will play 18 league games instead of the prior 16. As a result, the conference has adopted a new scheduling model based on "pods" — groups of five teams that will play one another twice during the regular season. Carolina's pod consists of fellow Triangle schools Duke and N.C. State, as well as the northern neighbors Virginia and Virginia Tech. The Tar Heels already clashed with the rival Blue Devils and Wolfpack twice in a season, so nothing really changes there. The second games against the Cavaliers and Hokies mean a return trip to Blacksburg for a second straight season, and a return to Carmichael by Virginia in consecutive campaigns. The other 10 programs will continue to be single-play opponents, with the venues flipping from the 2018-19 game site.

2) Consistent Game Windows

With the addition of a pair of conference games and the launch of the ACC Network, it was only natural to wonder if the conference would deviate from the traditional Thursday/Sunday game scheduling system. The answer: no. Only Carolina's ACC opener against Pitt (Monday, Dec. 30) will deviate from the pattern, and that matchup is in the midst of the Holiday Season.

3) Late Bye

With the ACC boasting an odd number of teams (15), each game window features a team with an open date. Last season, teams received two byes, and Carolina enjoyed a rest period after the second and second-to-last ACC games. This year, though, it's just one bye, and it comes Thursday, February 20. Only three regular season games (at Wake Forest, at Notre Dame, vs. Duke) will remain at that point. On one hand, you can argue that an open date so close to March will help to rest some aching bodies and potential nagging injuries and rejuvenate the Tar Heels for the stretch run. On the other, we'll have to see how playing 16 games between Dec. 28 and Feb. 16 (an eight-week stretch) will test and tax Carolina.

4) Home Cooking To Start…

For the first time since Jan. 3, 2016, a three-season stretch, Carolina will open its ACC slate inside the comforts of Carmichael Arena. Pitt's Dec. 30 visit gives the Tar Heels a chance to begin the ACC journey in front of the Tar Heel faithful for a Monday matinee.

5) …And Resolving To Start 1-0

The Tar Heels will play an ACC game in December for only the fifth time since 2001 when they take on Pitt. It will be the first conference game in Carmichael Arena since a Dec. 30, 2001 showdown with then-ACC foe Maryland, an 85-58 Tar Heel win. By celebrating the New Year with a win, Carolina can avenge a tough 91-78 loss in Pittsburgh on Feb. 14.

6) Road Tests and Tough Competition in January

After the conference home opener, the Tar Heels will venture out on the road for three of their next four games, heading to Virginia (Jan. 2), Virginia Tech (Jan. 5), and Florida State (Jan. 12) with a Jan. 9 home game against NC State in between. The NC State game begins a stretch (bookended by the Wolfpack) of five 2019 NCAA Tournament qualifying opponents in six games. In between the two tests against State (2019 Sweet 16), the Tar Heels will face FSU (Second Round), Miami (Second Round), and Louisville (Elite Eight). This six-game stretch is arguably the toughest portion of the ACC schedule for the 2019-20 Tar Heels.

7) Time To Find the Hypotenuse

After the Tar Heels return from the Jan. 23 trip to Georgia Tech, Carolina will not leave the Triangle until a Feb. 16 showdown at Boston College. The six-game stay close to home begins with the annual game at Reynolds Coliseum against NC State on Jan. 26, followed by a Jan. 30 home tilt with Virginia and a Groundhog Day (Feb. 2) visit from Clemson. Shadow or not, the eight-mile trip down Tobacco Road to Duke awaits on Feb. 6. The team's lengthy stint in their own beds concludes with home games against Virginia Tech (Feb. 9) and Syracuse (Feb. 13).

8) Be Ready For The Road

The downside to such a prolonged stretch of games at home and in the vicinity of Chapel Hill is that it all evens out eventually. And for the Tar Heels, that means a more than two-week period without a home game. Carolina will visit the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for a Feb. 16 meeting with Boston College, take the previously-referenced bye on Feb. 20, then play two more road games Feb. 23 and 27 at Wake Forest and Notre Dame, respectively. How rare is three straight ACC road games? Glad you asked! It last occurred Jan. 8, 11, and 19, 2004 against NC State, Duke, and Maryland, respectively.

9) And It Ends With Duke

Like in years past, Carolina's regular season will end with the second meeting against archrival Duke. The Blue Devils will visit on Sunday, March 1 in what is always one of the year's hottest tickets.

Just where will the Tar Heels be come that day? We don't know. And that's why sports are so much fun. Let's get this season started already!

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