Carmichael Comments: What it's Like to be at Carolina

Carmichael Comments: Inside Carolina Women's Basketball
Vol. 2, Edition 11: "What It's Like To Be At Carolina"
By: Matt Krause
@MattKrausePxP

Being a Tar Heel – whether a player, coach, or fan – elicits an ongoing wave of emotions.

There's pressure and excitement to try and succeed in the ever-difficult ACC.

There's pain and disappointment when you come up short in a challenging road game.

But perhaps no emotion resonates more with the Carolina family than the tidal wave of joy that follows a thrilling home win over an archrival. An unbeaten archrival. A top 10 archrival inside your own state.

The Tar Heel women's basketball team spanned that entire spectrum of emotions in the last seven days. Just another week in the ACC, right?

Even with an 11-3 overall start and 2-1 mark in the ACC, the Tar Heels had yet to face a ranked opponent during the first half of the 2019-20 regular season. Like a giant storm creeping closer on the radar, the environment changed on Thursday night. The Tar Heels' two opponents this week, No. 9 NC State and No. 11 Florida State, not only marked the first two ranked foes, but the beginning of a stretch of six games in which every opponent is either ranked, has a winning ACC record, or was picked in the top half of the ACC for this season.

Nothing against some of the non-league foes encountered in November, but this isn't Western Carolina and Charleston Southern anymore.

The doubters were quickly silenced on Thursday night when the Tar Heels clamped down the unbeaten Wolfpack and took a 66-60 win at raucous Carmichael Arena. But, like an unseasonably warm January day that quickly gives way to driving rain, Carolina was brought back down to Earth on Sunday with a 78-64 setback against the Seminoles.

Not only was Thursday a wake-up call to the women's basketball world that these Tar Heels are for real, but it was perhaps the moment where first-year head coach Courtney Banghart became an official part of the fabric of basketball on Tobacco Road.

"I woke up this morning and I realized what it's like to be at Carolina," she remarked just moments after her first top-10 win at the helm of the Tar Heels.

Perhaps she realized because the Carolina blue faithful were into the game at a different level from the jump. And that energy helped push the home team to victory.

"I just want to give a shout-out to our crowd," she said. "You all were huge tonight and made it a memorable environment and our guys battled because of it."

It wasn't easy for Carolina. The Wolfpack, undefeated for a reason, opened up a 14-point lead in the first half at 31-17, only to see Carolina respond with an 11-0 run late in the second quarter. When NC State went on a 10-0 run that bridged the two halves, the Tar Heels trailed by 13 again. But Carolina had another run in them, this time an 18-5 spurt to close the third quarter and tie the game at 46. Soon after, Madinah Muhammad, who was battling an illness on Thursday, sank two free throws to put Carolina in front for good at the 8:14 mark of the final quarter.

"We made a few adjustments," Banghart said. "These guys let me coach them and they were warriors. I just couldn't be happier for them. I could go right down the line of how well they all played."

Much of that crowd stuck around after the game, cheering as Banghart and her team milled about on the court for interviews and celebrations. Two national championship head coaches – Mack Brown of the Carolina football team and Karen Shelton of the Tar Heel field hockey team – were part of that crowd as well. If anyone knows about the significance of the Carolina-State rivalry, it's Mack. Perhaps that's why he had such a big grin on his face while embracing Banghart outside the Carolina locker room. Much like Brown's team's 41-10 thumping of the Pack on the gridiron in November, the win was simultaneously significant for the current team and for the future.

"I've learned how important that rivalry is by living it now," Banghart said. "For in-state recruiting and for the world of recruiting, to see that what we're trying to build is happening. It's underway."

It was one night that validated the efforts thus far, and left Banghart reflecting – and appreciative.

"Our team has put a lot of work in," she said. "You do win this inside the lines, but you also win it in preparation over the seven months. I couldn't be happier for them and the whole Carolina family to get to enjoy that one."

But, Newton's Law says that what goes up must come down. The taste of Thursday victory was erased on Sunday by a Florida State team that bounced back from a loss with a 14-point win over the Tar Heels, 78-64. At No. 11 in the nation, FSU has loads of veteran talent, which shot nearly 60 percent from the floor in the home win. Even with numbers like that, Banghart noticed fight from a rejuvenated Tar Heel team.

"They made contested shots," she said. "I don't hate our defensive effort. Their leading scorer (Kiah Gillespie) only had five points so we forced other guys to beat us. They shot really well at home coming off a loss. Obviously, that was a key win for them and they got it."

So a landmark win gives way to a teaching moment on the road. With Miami and No. 7 Louisville on the docket this week, the challenge doesn't get any easier.

But why would it? Nothing comes easy in the ACC.

That's just what it's like to be at Carolina.

Here's what else caught my eye this week…

1K Koenen

Taylor Koenen posted her second double-double of the season on Thursday against NC State, scoring 14 points and hauling in 11 rebounds. The effort left her 22 points away from 1,000 for her career headed into the Florida State game. Now, given that Koenen had scored 22 or more points in a game only once in her career (23 on Dec. 5 vs. Illinois), the natural instinct was to think that she might reach the mark back at home this week. Not so.

Koenen scored exactly 22 points in Tallahassee, hitting a career-best six threes in the process. Not only did she reach 1,000 points, but she also joined a select group in the history of the program, as noted by Banghart.

"Taylor's the pinnacle of consistency," Banghart said. "She's only the fifth player in program history to have 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, and 300 assists."

Bailey's Banner Night

Look at the stat line from the NC State game, and you'll see a solid performance from junior center Janelle Bailey: eight points, seven rebounds, and an assist. But when you watch the tape of the win over the Wolfpack, you'll see that Bailey was the unquestioned MVP of the night for the Tar Heels. She had the unenviable task of trying to stop NC State's Elissa Cunane, a 6-5 force at the center spot who came in averaging over 17 points and 10 rebounds per contest. To make matters more difficult for Bailey, NC State's ability to shoot the three meant that double teams wouldn't be practical on Cunane.

But Bailey stepped up. Cunane finished with just eight points on 3-for-11 shooting, and was visibly frustrated throughout the game. Banghart couldn't have been more proud of her center.

"She was really positionally sound," Banghart said of Bailey. "She was physical, bought into the game plan. She's a competitor and she knew we needed her. She knew we couldn't help her because of how well they shot the three. I looked at her and said 'you're on your own, kid' and she handled it like a pro."

Up Next

As discussed above, the challenge doesn't get any easier for Carolina. The travel, however, will. This week's pair of home games begins a stretch in which Carolina will play six of its next nine games at Carmichael Arena, and eight of its next nine in the Triangle. Between now and Feb. 16, the Tar Heels will make just one visit to RDU Airport – a Jan. 23 trip to Georgia Tech.

This week, Miami and Louisville will venture to 310 South Road. The Hurricanes, who have bounced in and out of the AP Top 25 this season, visit first on Thursday night at 6 p.m. Though Carolina leads the all-time series with Miami 13-10, the Hurricanes have claimed four straight. Coverage on the Tar Heel Sports Network begins at 5:30 p.m. with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. Catch the call on WCHL 97.9 FM in the Triangle, or worldwide via GoHeels.com, the GoHeels app, or the TuneIn app (search "North Carolina Tar Heels").

Then on Sunday, No. 7 Louisville arrives. The Cardinals reached the Elite Eight last season and despite losing uber-talented guard Asia Durr to the WNBA, have kept on chugging. Louisville is 16-1 into the week, the lone ACC team without a loss in conference play so far. Tip is set for 1:00 p.m. Coverage on the Tar Heel Sports Network begins at 12:30 p.m. with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. Catch the call on WCHL 97.9 FM in the Triangle, or worldwide via GoHeels.com, the GoHeels app, or the TuneIn app (search "North Carolina Tar Heels").

In the meantime, we'll have a new edition of Courtney Banghart Live coming out this week. It's the first of our two dinnertime tapings at the Carolina Club on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. The show is open to the public, so come on out and join us! If you can't make it, catch the show on the Tar Heel Voices podcast feed on Thursday morning, or on air on WCHL 97.9 FM at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday night!

That's all for now! Go Heels!

-Matt