Carmichael Comments: Looking Ahead to Notre Dame and Duke

Carmichael Comments: Inside Carolina Women's Basketball
Vol. 2, Edition 17: Senior Day
By: Matt Krause
@MattKrausePxP

The end of the regular season in college basketball brings an influx of discussions on bubbles, postseason implications, and the promise of brackets.
It also brings an end to the careers of seniors, who have to balance the emotions of the annual Senior Day celebration with trying to earn a pivotal late-season win.

The Tar Heels will celebrate Senior Day on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at Carmichael Arena in a game that's unique for two reasons: number one, it's against Carolina's biggest rival, Duke. Number two, the shared journey at Carolina for the seven seniors and head coach Courtney Banghart has spanned just one year.

When the current senior class was beginning its Carolina journey in 2016, and going through the recruiting process before, Banghart was carving up the Ivy League at Princeton. Needless to say, neither party could have predicted this is how Senior Day would turn out in Chapel Hill in 2020.

Regardless of the circumstances that led to the partnership between Banghart and this seven-member senior class, the emotions surrounding the day will be the same for Banghart.

"Senior Day is always the hardest game to coach," the first-year Carolina leader explained. "A lot of times, you've brought these guys to you, they've come to you, they've played for you, and now you're sending them away. You want to honor their career in a way that's meaningful to them, but you're also saying goodbye."

In an effort to minimize the impact on the game itself, the senior ceremony will take place after the Tar Heels and Blue Devils square off at Carmichael.

"It's never easy," Banghart said. "We're going to honor our seniors after the game to make it a little easier so I can focus on the task at hand, but it's never super fun. But you hope you give them the right way out."

When the time comes to honor the group, there will certainly be a unique tone to the festivities due to the fact that Banghart has only led this group for one season. In a way, though, that connection makes Senior Day 2020 one of the most special of her coaching career because of the relationships fostered in one season.

"When you take over a program, you're building trust as you're coaching," she said. "But the neat thing about collegiate athletics is that it's a series of one year on repeat. Every year is really different. They'll forever be my first class at Carolina. We'll make sure we honor them the right way."

Further underscoring that point, Banghart believes that a coach-player relationship of just one season can be as strong as one that spans an entire "normal" career.

"Two days ago was practice number 95," she said. "It's not a short amount of time we've spent together since I got here in May. In relationships, it's not about quantity, it's about quality. Winning and losing together, there's a quality to your connection."

There's one aspect of Sunday that would change everything about day: a win over the archrivals from up the street. Perhaps the Tar Heels can take inspiration from their head coach, who knows a thing or two about a rivalry game in her home finale. Banghart's 2000 Senior Night at Dartmouth was against the Big Green's biggest rival, and cemented the team's legacy.

"Our biggest rival was Harvard," she said. "My Senior Night, I went for 39 (points) and we cut down the nets after the game. I'm a flair for the dramatic."

So will the Tar Heels take after their coach and end the season with a bang? We'll find out on what will be a special day regardless.

Here's what else caught my eye this week …

Going Small
Janelle Bailey's absence on Sunday forced the Tar Heels to use some unique lineup combinations with only one true post in the pool of available players. Whenever Malu Tshitenge was on the bench, Taylor Koenen had to play the five spot. At 6-2, Koenen wasn't at a height disadvantage against a Wake Forest team that doesn't have a post player like, say, Elissa Cunane of NC State or Emma Guy of Boston College, but the skillset of playing in the low post is still an adjustment from the wing.

"We outrebounded an opponent that was fourth in the league in rebounding, and our starting three was our five," Banghart said, referring to Koenen's position swap. "I told them we were the smallest team in Division I basketball for 40 minutes."

The adjustment by Koenen also led to a unique consequence: the game did not feature a made three-pointer until 1:17 to play in the fourth quarter. Banghart says that removing a long-range threat like Koenen from her natural spot inhibited the Tar Heels' ability to shoot the three.

"Taylor had to play on the interior, and she's a 40-percent three-point shooter," Banghart explained. "She had to play on the interior because we had no size. Shayla (Bennett) was able to find gaps in the defense, and they were really locking into Leah (Church)."

Daniel Stepping Up
A byproduct of the absence of Bailey has been increased playing time for Nia Daniel. The 5-10 freshman from Hickory Ridge High School in the Charlotte area has been lauded for her athletic ability and potential to be a spark plug for the Tar Heels, attributes that have shown themselves more and more as she adjusts to the college game. On Sunday at Wake Forest, Daniel logged 22 minutes, the highest total of her career. In the process, she matched a career high with eight points, and provided a few memorable moments. With the Tar Heels trailing 20-14 early in the second quarter, Koenen came up with a steal and lobbed the ball ahead to Daniel, who beat the Deacs down the floor for a layup. A few seconds later, Daniel stole the ball herself in the backcourt and laid it in to trigger a Demon Deacon timeout. Later, when the game went to overtime, Daniel went out to handle the jump ball duties, and despite having a size disadvantage, won the tip for Carolina.

"She's playing harder," Banghart said. "When she plays hard, we're much better. She's much better. I thought she played much harder on both ends and was very confident."

Up Next
It's the end of the regular season for the Tar Heels – just two games remain. Before Sunday's Senior Day festivities, the Heels will visit northern Indiana to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Thursday at 7 p.m. This year's Notre Dame is a far cry from the national power in recent memory, as a young Irish team sits 11-17 and 6-10 in the ACC, but just beat Syracuse 72-70 at home on Sunday. Of course, last season when Notre Dame was ranked No. 1, the Tar Heels earned a memorable 78-73 upset win at Carmichael. If you want to re-live the moment, here's the final radio call once again. Thursday's radio coverage rolls at 6:30 p.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").

Then on Sunday, Duke comes to Carmichael for UNC's first home game since Feb. 13. In what's sure to be an emotional atmosphere, the Tar Heels will celebrate the careers of the seven seniors and three hard-working managers. But what could take the afternoon from meaningful to memorable would be a win over the surging Blue Devils, who have won six in a row as of press time. Carolina's last win over Duke was at Carmichael in January 2018, an overtime thriller in which the Tar Heels prevailed, 92-86. Is there another big win over Duke on the horizon this year? We'll find out on Sunday at 2. Remember, click here for tickets to what is sure to be the best atmosphere all season. If you can't make it to 310 South Road yourself, our Tar Heel Sports Network radio coverage begins at 1:30 p.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").

To get you ready, this week's edition of Courtney Banghart Live is now available on the Tar Heel Voices podcast feed! You can also hear the show on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 8:00 p.m. on WCHL 97.9 The Hill.

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

With a limited lineup on Sunday against Wake Forest, freshmen Kennady Tucker and Nia Daniel came off the bench for significant minutes. (Derrick Brady photo)

February 25, 2020 | Women's Basketball