Carmichael Comments: Winning for Roy

CARMICHAEL COMMENTS: Inside Carolina Women's Basketball
Vol. 3, Edition 14: Winning For Roy
The head coaches of Carolina's 28 varsity sports share a number of qualities: leadership, world-class knowledge of their sport, passion, energy…the list goes on. But another quality that sticks out is a deep admiration for men's basketball head coach Roy Williams, and a desire to emulate his excellence in the coaching profession.
That's certainly the case for Carolina women's basketball head coach Courtney Banghart, who has quickly immersed herself into the culture of Carolina and Chapel Hill since arriving as an outsider from Princeton in the spring of 2019. On Saturday, Banghart, her staff, and players watched on television as Williams earned his 900^th win as a head coach in Carolina's 78-70 comeback victory over Florida State. The Seminoles were the hottest team in the ACC headed into Saturday's game, having lost just once in the calendar year 2021.

The women's program was in an oddly similar spot as the men's game played on a projector screen inside the team hotel in Blacksburg, Va.: a matchup with the league's hottest program awaiting. Virginia Tech had won six straight games heading into Sunday afternoon, and Banghart knew she needed to channel her "inner Williams" to help coach her team to a win that could secure an NCAA Tournament berth.

What she didn't expect? Like the men's team, needing a double-digit comeback to secure the victory.

But despite a 14-point deficit at halftime on Sunday in Blacksburg, the Carolina women pulled out a 68-63 win to extinguish the fire on the Hokies' win streak. And just minutes after the final horn sounded, Banghart's first thoughts were about her esteemed colleague.

"I just want to give a shout-out to probably the greatest of all time in Roy Williams, getting his 900^th win," she said, smiling. "We've got a lot of love and respect for Roy, so this one's for him."

Perhaps she's on to something. A closer examination of the Saturday and Sunday games reveals several parallel storylines. Both teams needed the win for their NCAA Tournament hopes. The women's team is continuing to dig out from an uneven start to ACC play, while the men's program had to erase the bitter taste of Wednesday's upset loss to Marquette. Then, there's the manner in which both games were won. Each team trailed by at least 14 at one juncture, and locked in defensively to dig out of the hole. Florida State hit 11 field goals after halftime, and Virginia Tech had a mere six.

One more parallel storyline: the late-season emergence of a young core. It's no secret that in a pandemic-altered season, teams with a heavy dosage of freshmen in the lineup have taken longer to get up to speed. But now that those who haven't experienced playing in front of full arenas are more comfortable, teams are feeling the impact. Those that follow the Carolina men's program have been delighted by the growth of Walker Kessler, whose career-best 20 points on Saturday off the bench were enormous in the Florida State win. On the women's side, there's Deja Kelly, the McDonald's All-American who has finally seemed to deliver the potential she is capable of with four consecutive double-figure scoring games and a career-high-matching 22 points in each of the last two games.

So here, nearing the end of year two of the Courtney Banghart era, the signs of tangible growth are there. The hype has turned into results. And though Coach Banghart still has a ways to go when it comes to catching Coach Williams (but hey, she's on track for win No. 300 as soon as next year), the lessons he's imparted have proved valuable. Here's to watching both coaches do what they do best in the NCAA Tournament this season!

Here's what else caught my eye this week…

Kelly Stays Hot
Like we discussed above, Deja Kelly has been on a tear for the Tar Heels of late. Here's some context:
- Kelly has reached double figures in scoring for four straight games for the first time as a Tar Heel
- She has matched her career high with 22 points in consecutive games
- She is shooting 15-for-29 from the floor over her last two games (51.7%)
- She is 9-for-9 from the free throw line in the last two games, 17-for-18 in her last three

This is tremendous news for Carolina, as the Tar Heels can rely heavily on their true freshman to carry a scoring load as the season reaches its apex.

Bailey's Defense
A critical part of Carolina's Sunday success in Blacksburg was the elimination of Elizabeth Kitley as a vital part of the Hokies' offense. The ACC's third-leading scorer, Kitley came into the game averaging 19.1 points per game, but scored only eight on Sunday, her lowest total of the season. Why? Janelle Bailey's impact on the defensive end.

"I think that was one of Janelle Bailey's very best games," Banghart said. "Her statistics kind of show that, but she was giant."

Bailey's path to success in defending Kitley begins with her high basketball IQ, according to Banghart.

"Defensively, she was always in the right spot in terms of where we needed to send the help to. She defended without fouling and just forced tough (shots)."

The performance is reminiscent of last season against NC State, when the Tar Heels handed the Wolfpack their first loss of the year at Carmichael Arena and Wolfpack star Elissa Cunane was held to eight points despite averaging 17.5 per contest into that game.

Senior Farewell
Thursday's game, an 84-59 beatdown of Georgia Tech that marked Carolina's largest win in ACC play in over six years, was senior night for Janelle Bailey, Petra Holešínská, and Stephanie Watts. Each player made her respective Carmichael finale a memorable one, with Watts scoring 14 points, Holešínská 13, and Bailey 12 as part of a double-double. After the game, each player was given a framed jersey from Banghart while a highlight video played above. Though the players' families were unable to walk out onto the court with them due to COVID protocols, it was still a memorable night.

Up Next
The Tar Heels will prepare for the ACC Tournament, to be held this week at Greensboro Coliseum in the Gate City. Carolina has earned the No. 8 seed for the event, opening competition on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. against ninth-seeded Wake Forest in a rubber match of the season series. The Demon Deacons earned a 57-54 win on their home floor on Dec. 10 in Winston-Salem, then Carolina returned the favor with a 77-74 overtime triumph just 10 days later in Carmichael Arena, a game in which the Tar Heels rallied from a 17-point first half deficit to claim the victory.

It's the second year in a row that these two teams have encountered one another in the ACC Tournament, with Wake Forest earning an 83-73 win in last year's first round to end Carolina's season. The Tar Heels have been the No. 8 seed in the ACC Tournament on five previous occasions, and won a game just once, in 2019, when Carolina beat ninth-seeded Georgia Tech 80-73 in the second round before bowing out to Notre Dame a day later. It's worth noting that as the ACC has grown and expanded, the eight seed doesn't have to see the No. 1 seed in the first game of the event, so that slightly skews the history there for Carolina's 1989, 1990, and 1991 tournaments.

Should the Tar Heels win, No. 1 seed Louisville awaits on Friday, also with a noon tipoff time. Louisville won 79-68 on Jan. 28 over Carolina at the KFC Yum! Center, a game in which the Cardinals led by 32 at one point before a valiant comeback for the Tar Heels ran out of time. A potential Saturday semifinal and Sunday championship game would also tip off at 12:00 p.m.

Our Tar Heel Sports Network coverage of Thursday's game – and any other ACC Tournament games beyond that – begins with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show at 11:30 a.m. Catch the call streaming worldwide for free on the TuneIn app (search "North Carolina Tar Heels Women's Basketball"), GoHeels.com (click "listen" on the women's basketball schedule), and the GoHeels app. Additionally, fans in the Triangle can tune in on WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM.

In the meantime, check out this week's edition of the Courtney Banghart Show on the Tar Heel Voices podcast channel. Fans can listen after Wednesday morning by clicking here, or by searching "Tar Heel Voices" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and wherever else you get your podcasts. Be sure to subscribe to the channel to automatically receive each episode! Plus, fans in the Triangle can hear the show on WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.

That's all for now! Go Heels!

-Matt