University of North Carolina Athletics
Kennedy Todd-Williams is one of five freshmen who will take the court for the Tar Heels this season.
Photo by: Dana Gentry
Carmichael Comments: What A Week
November 12, 2020 | Women's Basketball
Vol. 3, Edition 1: What a Week
Well, a lot has happened since the last time that we published one of these columns. You could also make the case for the opposite – after all, it's mid-November and we missed out on the typical schedule release fanfare, October preseason honors and awards, etc.
So why not merge both of those announcements with the announcement of the no. 2 recruiting class in the nation for the class of 2021?
It's 2020, the typical rules don't apply. So let's go from zero to 100 with our basketball news. If you missed it, the Tar Heels were picked fourth in the ACC Preseason Poll by the league's 15 head coaches, and fifth in the poll by the league's Blue Ribbon panel of media personnel. Needless to say, this is quite the jump for a program that was the No. 12 seed in the ACC Tournament in March (the last week B.P. – before pandemic). But, when your roster contains five elite freshmen and a trio of transfers to compliment four returners, there's reason to be excited. In the interest of transparency, I am privileged to have a vote for the Blue Ribbon poll – and picked the Tar Heels seventh. Definitely a pleasant surprise to see so much league-wide buzz around Courtney Banghart's second team in Chapel Hill!
Also included in that release are two bits of news that aren't surprises – Janelle Bailey has been named Preseason All-ACC by both the coaches and the Blue Ribbon panel, while freshman guard Deja Kelly earned a spot on the five-member Newcomer Watch List for both groups.
As if you needed another reason to hop on the Banghart Express Hype Train, Wednesday provided four more with the announcement of the No. 2 recruiting class in the class of 2021. Click the link for more info about each new member of the family – coming Fall 2021.
But we'll have to wait to see that group on the floor in Carmichael Arena, because the 2020-21 Tar Heels will begin their season in less than two weeks. Thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we have very little time between the schedule release and the tip-off of the season itself. So let's not waste any time.
Schedule is Here
The ACC released the 2020-21 conference schedule Wednesday morning, with Carolina publicizing the full schedule shortly after. Needless to say, there's several differences this season with the makeup of the schedule. The ACC will play 20 conference games this season, up two from the typical 18. Carolina will play its four "division" foes twice each (Duke, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech), along with bonus home-and-home matchups with a team from the North Division (Syracuse) and South Division (Wake Forest). The remaining eight ACC teams will appear once each on the schedule, with the venue flipped from a season ago. Another wrinkle to the ACC portion of the schedule: Four of the 20 games will be played before Christmas. The Thursday/Sunday schedule setup typical to January and February will begin Thursday, Dec. 10, and continue the following week.
The typical cap of total games is 29 without a multi-team event (MTE), and up to 31 with MTE participation. However, with the start date for the season pushed back two weeks, the NCAA has sliced the cap to 25 without an MTE and up to 27 with an MTE. As Carolina is not slated to play in an MTE this season, the Heels are scheduled to play 25 games in the regular season.
Needless to say, as the pandemic continues, the number of games is extremely fluid.
Home Cooking in Non-Conference
All five of the non-conference matchups will be played at Carmichael Arena, and are scheduled to occur in a 12-day span from Nov. 25-Dec. 6. Each opponent is a mid-major foe within a four-hour drive: Radford, UNCG, High Point, South Carolina State, and Charlotte.
Though Carolina won't see any fellow power conference teams in the non-conference portion of the schedule, there are plenty of positives to this slate. First off, it gives a deep and young Carolina team the opportunity to gain game experience in droves. Coach Banghart has hinted at using multiple starting lineups during this stretch to help prepare for the ACC gauntlet. Second, with the heavy load of games in a short span, all without major travel for either team, the odds are more favorable to avoid COVID-related postponement. The NCAA minimum of games played to be considered for the NCAA Tournament in 2021 is 13, so the Tar Heels can make significant headway toward clearing that hurdle by playing the majority of – or better yet all – of the non-conference games.
The expectations are high for several of these talented mid-majors, so Carolina will be tested between the lines right from the jump. Charlotte won 21 games a season ago, while Radford and High Point were picked second and third in the Big South preseason poll, respectively.
Rivalry Weekends
Another element of the schedule that jumps out is one that makes me (and Carolina fans everywhere) yearn for the days of having fans in sold-out arenas is the fact that all four Triangle rivalry matchups will take place on Sundays. We saw the ACC transition both of the Carolina-Duke men's games to weekends last season, a pattern that will continue this year, and now the practice heads to the women's side as well. The first Carolina-Duke showdown of the season takes place Sunday, Jan. 17 at Carmichael Arena, with the second matchup set for the traditional regular season finale Sunday, Feb. 28 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The two NC State matchups will also be on Sundays – Feb. 7 in Carmichael and Feb. 21 at Reynolds Coliseum. Just imagine what the environments for all four games could be … all I'll say is: let's hope the ACC continues this practice for 2021-22 and beyond when (hopefully) the fan experience looks more normal.
Travel-Heavy in the Middle
Once Carolina plays its five non-conference home games, activity in Carmichael Arena will be limited on either side of the holidays. The Tar Heels will play five of their first seven (and six of their first 10) ACC games away from Chapel Hill, with four of those road trips coming via air travel and serving as the Tar Heels' longest trips of the season. Between Dec. 7 and Jan. 23 (a 48-day span) Carolina will play just four home games. It's a stretch that includes a trip to preseason No. 5 Louisville on Dec. 13, and a pair of matchups with no. 23 Syracuse on Dec. 17 and Dec. 31. The second Syracuse matchup on New Year's Eve starts a string of three straight road games, marking the second consecutive season that Carolina will partake in such a stretch (Boston College, Wake Forest, Notre Dame last season).
Home court advantage won't mean as much this season with limited or no fans, but the fatigue of travel will still play a factor. Weather this storm of travel, and Carolina will be in good shape for the stretch run.
Local Finish
The what-goes-up-must-go-down side of the equation with the mileage the Tar Heels will log on the front end of the ACC schedule is the fact that six of the last 10 ACC games will be played at home. To make things sweeter, the four road games include Duke and NC State. Carolina will leave the Triangle just twice after Jan. 22 – a Jan. 31 trip to Virginia Tech and a Feb. 18 journey to Clemson. The first four games of February will all be played at home – Feb. 4 vs. Florida State, Feb. 7 vs. NC State, Feb. 11 vs. Boston College, and Feb. 14 vs. Virginia. A check of the Tar Heel record book reveals that the last time Carolina played four straight ACC home games was the 1992-93 season…so it's been awhile.
Also, we mentioned the three games against ranked foes in the front of the ACC schedule. That fact is mirrored on the back half: No. 22 Notre Dame, aiming for a bounce-back campaign under first-year head coach Niele Ivey, visits on Jan. 24, and as discussed before, No. 8 NC State appears on the schedule twice in February.
In Summary
It's going to be a weird season amidst the backdrop of the pandemic. Attendance will be, at best, limited. The good news is that 1) we'll still have Carolina Women's Basketball, and 2) we're all over the coverage. I'll bring you the play-by-play call of each Carolina game, home and away, to make you feel like you're right there in the arena. In the coming days, stay tuned for news on the Courtney Banghart Live radio show and podcast.
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more season preview content next week!
-Matt (@MattKrausePxP)
Well, a lot has happened since the last time that we published one of these columns. You could also make the case for the opposite – after all, it's mid-November and we missed out on the typical schedule release fanfare, October preseason honors and awards, etc.
So why not merge both of those announcements with the announcement of the no. 2 recruiting class in the nation for the class of 2021?
It's 2020, the typical rules don't apply. So let's go from zero to 100 with our basketball news. If you missed it, the Tar Heels were picked fourth in the ACC Preseason Poll by the league's 15 head coaches, and fifth in the poll by the league's Blue Ribbon panel of media personnel. Needless to say, this is quite the jump for a program that was the No. 12 seed in the ACC Tournament in March (the last week B.P. – before pandemic). But, when your roster contains five elite freshmen and a trio of transfers to compliment four returners, there's reason to be excited. In the interest of transparency, I am privileged to have a vote for the Blue Ribbon poll – and picked the Tar Heels seventh. Definitely a pleasant surprise to see so much league-wide buzz around Courtney Banghart's second team in Chapel Hill!
Also included in that release are two bits of news that aren't surprises – Janelle Bailey has been named Preseason All-ACC by both the coaches and the Blue Ribbon panel, while freshman guard Deja Kelly earned a spot on the five-member Newcomer Watch List for both groups.
As if you needed another reason to hop on the Banghart Express Hype Train, Wednesday provided four more with the announcement of the No. 2 recruiting class in the class of 2021. Click the link for more info about each new member of the family – coming Fall 2021.
But we'll have to wait to see that group on the floor in Carmichael Arena, because the 2020-21 Tar Heels will begin their season in less than two weeks. Thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we have very little time between the schedule release and the tip-off of the season itself. So let's not waste any time.
Schedule is Here
The ACC released the 2020-21 conference schedule Wednesday morning, with Carolina publicizing the full schedule shortly after. Needless to say, there's several differences this season with the makeup of the schedule. The ACC will play 20 conference games this season, up two from the typical 18. Carolina will play its four "division" foes twice each (Duke, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech), along with bonus home-and-home matchups with a team from the North Division (Syracuse) and South Division (Wake Forest). The remaining eight ACC teams will appear once each on the schedule, with the venue flipped from a season ago. Another wrinkle to the ACC portion of the schedule: Four of the 20 games will be played before Christmas. The Thursday/Sunday schedule setup typical to January and February will begin Thursday, Dec. 10, and continue the following week.
The typical cap of total games is 29 without a multi-team event (MTE), and up to 31 with MTE participation. However, with the start date for the season pushed back two weeks, the NCAA has sliced the cap to 25 without an MTE and up to 27 with an MTE. As Carolina is not slated to play in an MTE this season, the Heels are scheduled to play 25 games in the regular season.
Needless to say, as the pandemic continues, the number of games is extremely fluid.
Home Cooking in Non-Conference
All five of the non-conference matchups will be played at Carmichael Arena, and are scheduled to occur in a 12-day span from Nov. 25-Dec. 6. Each opponent is a mid-major foe within a four-hour drive: Radford, UNCG, High Point, South Carolina State, and Charlotte.
Though Carolina won't see any fellow power conference teams in the non-conference portion of the schedule, there are plenty of positives to this slate. First off, it gives a deep and young Carolina team the opportunity to gain game experience in droves. Coach Banghart has hinted at using multiple starting lineups during this stretch to help prepare for the ACC gauntlet. Second, with the heavy load of games in a short span, all without major travel for either team, the odds are more favorable to avoid COVID-related postponement. The NCAA minimum of games played to be considered for the NCAA Tournament in 2021 is 13, so the Tar Heels can make significant headway toward clearing that hurdle by playing the majority of – or better yet all – of the non-conference games.
The expectations are high for several of these talented mid-majors, so Carolina will be tested between the lines right from the jump. Charlotte won 21 games a season ago, while Radford and High Point were picked second and third in the Big South preseason poll, respectively.
Rivalry Weekends
Another element of the schedule that jumps out is one that makes me (and Carolina fans everywhere) yearn for the days of having fans in sold-out arenas is the fact that all four Triangle rivalry matchups will take place on Sundays. We saw the ACC transition both of the Carolina-Duke men's games to weekends last season, a pattern that will continue this year, and now the practice heads to the women's side as well. The first Carolina-Duke showdown of the season takes place Sunday, Jan. 17 at Carmichael Arena, with the second matchup set for the traditional regular season finale Sunday, Feb. 28 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The two NC State matchups will also be on Sundays – Feb. 7 in Carmichael and Feb. 21 at Reynolds Coliseum. Just imagine what the environments for all four games could be … all I'll say is: let's hope the ACC continues this practice for 2021-22 and beyond when (hopefully) the fan experience looks more normal.
Travel-Heavy in the Middle
Once Carolina plays its five non-conference home games, activity in Carmichael Arena will be limited on either side of the holidays. The Tar Heels will play five of their first seven (and six of their first 10) ACC games away from Chapel Hill, with four of those road trips coming via air travel and serving as the Tar Heels' longest trips of the season. Between Dec. 7 and Jan. 23 (a 48-day span) Carolina will play just four home games. It's a stretch that includes a trip to preseason No. 5 Louisville on Dec. 13, and a pair of matchups with no. 23 Syracuse on Dec. 17 and Dec. 31. The second Syracuse matchup on New Year's Eve starts a string of three straight road games, marking the second consecutive season that Carolina will partake in such a stretch (Boston College, Wake Forest, Notre Dame last season).
Home court advantage won't mean as much this season with limited or no fans, but the fatigue of travel will still play a factor. Weather this storm of travel, and Carolina will be in good shape for the stretch run.
Local Finish
The what-goes-up-must-go-down side of the equation with the mileage the Tar Heels will log on the front end of the ACC schedule is the fact that six of the last 10 ACC games will be played at home. To make things sweeter, the four road games include Duke and NC State. Carolina will leave the Triangle just twice after Jan. 22 – a Jan. 31 trip to Virginia Tech and a Feb. 18 journey to Clemson. The first four games of February will all be played at home – Feb. 4 vs. Florida State, Feb. 7 vs. NC State, Feb. 11 vs. Boston College, and Feb. 14 vs. Virginia. A check of the Tar Heel record book reveals that the last time Carolina played four straight ACC home games was the 1992-93 season…so it's been awhile.
Also, we mentioned the three games against ranked foes in the front of the ACC schedule. That fact is mirrored on the back half: No. 22 Notre Dame, aiming for a bounce-back campaign under first-year head coach Niele Ivey, visits on Jan. 24, and as discussed before, No. 8 NC State appears on the schedule twice in February.
In Summary
It's going to be a weird season amidst the backdrop of the pandemic. Attendance will be, at best, limited. The good news is that 1) we'll still have Carolina Women's Basketball, and 2) we're all over the coverage. I'll bring you the play-by-play call of each Carolina game, home and away, to make you feel like you're right there in the arena. In the coming days, stay tuned for news on the Courtney Banghart Live radio show and podcast.
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more season preview content next week!
-Matt (@MattKrausePxP)
Players Mentioned
Center
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballUNC Baseball: Tar Heels Complete Road Sweep at Notre Dame, 15-10
Monday, March 30
UNC Baseball: Tar Heels Take Game 2 at Notre Dame, 13-7
Sunday, March 29
UNC Softball: Tar Heels Handle Marist, 12-2
Saturday, March 28
UNC Baseball: DeCaro Ks 9 in Win at Notre Dame, 6-5
Saturday, March 28