Carmichael Comments: Resting Up

Carmichael Comments: Inside Carolina Women's Basketball
Vol. 2, Edition 16: Rest
By: Matt Krause
@MattKrausePxP

The ACC boasts 15 teams, and you don't have to be a mathematician to realize that 15 is an odd number.

Where are we going here? You're asking yourself.

Well, thanks to that odd number of teams, each ACC team receives an open date during a window of games over the course of the season. With 15 of the 18 league games in the rearview mirror, that open date is finally here for the Carolina women's basketball team. While the rest of the ACC takes the floor on Thursday night, the Tar Heels will sit out for the night. And countless players, coaches, and staff are breathing a sigh of relief and relaxation.

Sunday's Carolina loss at Boston College, an up-and-down 93-75 setback, was the Tar Heels' 16^th game in 51 days dating back to the non-conference finale against Yale on Dec. 28. With a rotation that goes seven or eight deep, Carolina's already thin roster has been pushed and taxed by the ACC grind. In the last two weeks, it has started to show with a four-game losing skid. In that regard, the bye week gets here at a good time.

"It's a really quality league, and we've been waiting for this bye week," Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart remarked. "We knew the length of this season would be hard for this group, and we've got to, minute by minute, find a way."

At points this season, Banghart has referenced the fact that among herself and her three assistant coaches, only assistant Tim Taylor, who came to Carolina from Virginia, had experienced the ACC's rigorous conference season prior to this year. While Banghart's previous conference, the Ivy League, plays back-to-back games on Fridays and Saturdays during the conference season, there are only 14 league games and a full five days between games. The ACC's Thursday/Sunday model with 18 conference games leaves significantly less time for rest and recovery. It's a rhythm of two days of prep, play the game, two days of prep, play the game, take one off day a week. And oh yeah, travel. All with academics at the forefront for student-athletes.

So with the Tar Heels skidding in the last few weeks, Banghart's job as juggler has prioritized rest and preparation over bona fide improvement.

"You so want to get better," she said. "That's the challenge. Over the last two weeks I've really wanted to get better, but we're really working on borrowed time here – we're really banged up with a thin roster as is."

Now, Carolina won't play again until a Sunday 12:00 p.m. tip at Wake Forest (6-9 ACC going into a Thursday road game at Florida State). The open date will give the Tar Heels a chance to breathe, get off their feet, and regroup before turning the attention to a longtime Tobacco Road foe in the Deacs.

"We've got to take some days off consecutively, then practice lightly, then take some more days off consecutively," Banghart said of this week's plan. "I think there will be more rest than improvement, but hopefully, that helps us improve."

The major area that Carolina wants to improve? Defense. The Tar Heels surrendered 74 and 93 points, respectively, in last week's losses to Syracuse and Boston College. After not allowing 70 points in consecutive games at any point in the season's first 21 contests, opponents have hit the mark in five straight games.

"Defensively, we've gradually gotten away from that side of the ball, and it really hurt us tonight," Banghart said after the BC loss. "That was just a defensive breakdown from start to finish. We got punched in the face defensively off cuts, off post-ups, in transition."

There's no guarantee that the Tar Heels will make significant defensive strides on Sunday in the shadow of Pilot Mountain. What we do know, though, is that fatigue will be much less of a factor when the ball is tossed up at the Joel Coliseum. The chance to rest is finally here.

Here's what else caught my eye this week…

Shooting It Better
"Let's go for a good shooting night," Banghart remarked when asked about keys to Sunday's game at Boston College. "It's been awhile. If you make shots, especially with a small rotation, that can be helpful."

She's right. A tough stretch shooting the basketball doomed Carolina in the first three setbacks in this current losing streak. The Heels shot 32% or lower in all three losses, three of the four lowest overall field goal percentages of the season. The 56 points scored in the Thursday loss to Syracuse were a season-low, but the tough stretch didn't ding what Banghart and her staff feel has been an overall positive offensive season.

"Offensively, this is a team that really played aggressively and together, and just didn't make shots the last couple of games," she said.

That offense came alive on Sunday afternoon in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Tar Heels shot 44.3% (27-for-61) in the game, and knocked down six three-pointers after hitting five in the previous two games combined. Even though the game marked another loss, seeing the Tar Heels hang 75 points on the scoreboard was a stepping stone for Banghart, who credited multiple starters.

"I just told them in the locker room that it was good to see the offensive come alive a bit," she said. "Shayla (Bennett) has to be more aggressive and she was. I give a lot of credit to Janelle (Bailey), who was banged up, and Taylor (Koenen) was aggressive."

When the dust settled, five Carolina players were in double figures, led by Bennett's 17 points. Madinah Muhammad scored 16, Koenen added 15, while Leah Church scored 11 off the bench and Bailey reached double digits with 10.

Tshitenge's Big Night
In defeat against Syracuse on Thursday night, Carolina freshman forward Malu Tshitenge achieved a personal milestone: her first double-double in ACC play, an 11-point and 11-rebound effort. In fact, the game marked Tshitenge's first double-digit rebounding game in conference action. She reached the 10-rebound threshold four times in non-conference play, most recently on Dec. 20 against UNCW, but had not been able to crack it inside the league. Banghart had challenged her freshman starter to be more aggressive in the low post, growth that her head coach refers to as part of a "settling in" process.

"Malu is settling in a bit," Banghart said. "She's a freshman, so we know there's going to be ups and downs and arounds with her. She's a little banged up, but she's getting better."

Up Next
The Tar Heels will be off on Thursday night, taking the annual open date in the ACC schedule. Rested and refreshed, Carolina will then head to Winston-Salem for the lone regular season matchup with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. at Joel Coliseum. The Tar Heels have historically owned the series with the Deacs, going 65-14 against Wake Forest through the years, and 25-9 in Winston-Salem.

Last season, Carolina built a 56-18 halftime lead on Wake Forest and never looked back, throttling the Deacons 84-61 at Carmichael on Jan. 17, 2019. This year's Wake Forest team is improved over last year's, though, as a 1-15 ACC record has become 6-9 with three games still remaining in the regular season for Wake. They'll travel to Florida State for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff on Thursday before welcoming in the rested Tar Heels. Sunday's radio coverage from Coliseum & University in the Twin City begins at 11:30 a.m. with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. Catch the call on our flagship station, WCHL 97.9 The Hill, in the Triangle, or worldwide at GoHeels.com and on the TuneIn app (just search "North Carolina Tar Heels").

In the meantime, we'll have another edition of Courtney Banghart Live TONIGHT – Wednesday, Feb. 19 – at the Carolina Club at 6:00 p.m. Come join us for dinner and hear from the head coach of the Tar Heels, plus special guest Carrie Moore, Carolina Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator! The show is open to the public and parking is available in the Rams Head Deck adjacent to the Club. If you can't make it in person, catch the show on our flagship station, WCHL 97.9 The Hill, at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening, or anytime on the Tar Heel Voices podcast feed. The show will appear there Thursday morning.

That's all for now! Go Heels!
-Matt