Carmichael Comments: Bounce Back

Thursday night's loss at NC State, the first of the season for the Carolina women's basketball team, left a sour taste in the mouth anyone associated with the program. It was, quite simply, a night to forget. So why on Earth are we talking about it?

Because of what followed. Rather than let the mistakes of Thursday in Raleigh continue to impact play in the ensuing game, the Tar Heels emerged from the depths of defeat with one of their most complete efforts of the season to dominate Virginia Tech, 71-46.

"In a process, you want every step to be forward, but that's not how processes work. Some steps are humbling, and some are backwards. And this was both of those things," Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart said after the NC State defeat.

Taking a forward step by bouncing back, especially mentally, is much easier said than done. That's especially the case when the foe is a veteran Hokies team that had won four of the last five meetings between the two teams and boasts a wealth of talent. For the Tar Heels, that process of turning the page and moving on began with soul-searching and talking about the team's identity in team meetings between the two games.

"We talked about returning to who we are – with effort, toughness, and connectivity," Banghart said.

With so much to get corrected, yet a yearning to leave NC State in the past, having just two days of practice between games was both a blessing and curse for the Tar Heels.
"You have to have a short memory in this league," Banghart explained. "You don't get time to cry about it and worry about it."

Still, Carolina went to work in practice to correct some glaring problems from the loss to the Wolfpack, most notably defensive urgency, playing with energy, and moving the ball on offense. When Sunday's game rolled around, any doubt in Carolina's ability to recover was quickly squashed. The Tar Heels held a Virginia Tech team that entered the night in the top 30 nationally in offensive efficiency to just 31 percent from the floor and 17 percent (4-for-24) from three-point range. That three-point shooting percentage figure was roughly 20 percent below the Hokies' season average, which ranked second in the ACC and 13^th nationally prior to the game.

Of equal defensive importance was the neutralizing of Elizabeth Kitley, the Hokies' 6-6 center who ranks second in the ACC in scoring at 18.5 points per game. Though Kitley posted her fifth consecutive double-double with "only" 14 points to go with 17 boards, she was still held below her season average, and shot just two free throws. Carolina was active defensively against Kitley, sending double teams, help defense, and occasional triple teams at the Virginia Tech star. For Banghart and her team, that was just following the game plan.

"We just wanted to make everything difficult," she said. "To score more points in the paint than them is a key stat. We knew this was a really good offensive team, and that if we didn't bring our best it was going to be a very long night."

Though Virginia Tech held early leads of 2-0 and 4-2, Carolina raced ahead by the midpoint of the first quarter and never looked back, taking the lead for good at 11-8. Being aggressive and playing with energy was another bounce-back key for Banghart.

"We didn't want to chase them around, we wanted to set the tempo," she said. "We did that from the tip. Hats off to our guys, they bounced back quick from what they had to feel and sit in on Thursday night."

On the offensive end, the Tar Heels handed out a season-low four assists on Thursday at NC State. Three days later, Carolina helped on 14 of 28 made field goals, a figure that includes six assists from Alyssa Ustby alone, matching her career high.

"So much better," Banghart responded when asked her thoughts on the improvement in offensive movement Sunday. "We showed a lot of film, as you can imagine, on Friday, and when the ball moves we're really hard to guard."

What a world of difference three days makes.

Here's what else caught my eye this week…

Hodgson Carries the Load
Even Sunday's dominant win wasn't adversity-free. Less than three minutes into the game, Kennedy Todd-Williams picked up her second personal foul, forcing her to the bench for the remainder of the quarter and much of the first half. Todd-Williams, one of the best defenders in the ACC if not the nation, left a major need in the rotation in her absence. Enter Eva Hodgson, who has embraced the "sixth player" role this season. Hodgson not only contributed defensively to holding the Hokies to 46 points and 31-percent shooting, but she had her best offensive game as a Tar Heel. The William & Mary graduate transfer scored 19 points on six made field goals (matching a season high), and hit a season-best four threes.

"Huge minutes, especially when (Kennedy Todd-Williams) got in foul trouble there with two fouls in the first quarter, that was concerning," Banghart remarked postgame. "(Eva) stepped in and had her back and was great in her absence."

Kelly's First Double-Double
Deja Kelly has dazzled fans in her year and a half in Carolina blue, and has quickly become known as one of the best scorers in the ACC. After all, she ranks second in the league in scoring among guards and third overall at 17.6 points per game. On Sunday, however, she added a first to her growing list of accomplishments: a double-double. Kelly set a career high with 10 rebounds, which combined with her 15 points made her the third Tar Heel to notch a double-double this season. She has scored in double figures in every game this season, the only Tar Heel to do so.

Home Dominance
Carolina is 8-0 in home games this season, the first 8-0 home start since 2016-17. It's the first undefeated home start with at least three ACC wins since 2012-13, when Carolina started 14-0 at home and 5-0 in ACC home games. Here's a few more stats on home games this season:

-The Tar Heels have held a lead of 30 points or more at some juncture of each home game.

-ACC opponents are shooting just 21.9 percent from three at Carmichael Arena (14-for-64) this season.

-Carolina has won each home game in ACC play by 19 or more. It's the first time the Tar Heels have done so in each of the first three ACC home games since 2006-07, when they beat Virginia Tech by 34, Virginia by 34, and Georgia Tech by 47.

Up Next
It's a lighter week for the No. 21 Tar Heels, as Carolina will have its annual ACC "bye week" during the Thursday window of games. The team will return to action on Sunday with a trip to Notre Dame to take on the Fighting Irish, ranked 20th in this week's AP Top 25. These teams have split their last four meetings, with Carolina having won 78-73 at home in both 2019 and 2021, and Notre Dame winning in the 2019 ACC Tournament and at home in 2020. Though Carolina has never won in women's basketball at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, this year's Tar Heels have already proven to be a history-making bunch. So why not make more history? Tip on Sunday is set for 1 p.m., preceded by a 12:30 p.m. Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show on the Tar Heel Sports Network. Catch the call on all our streaming options – The Varsity Network App from Learfield, GoHeels.com, and the GoHeels app – all for free. Additionally, our flagship station, 97.9 FM/1360 AM WCHL, will carry the broadcast in its entirety.

In the meantime, a new edition of Holding Court with Courtney Banghart will air on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on WCHL. Tune in to hear from Coach Banghart on all things Carolina Women's Basketball, including a preview of the huge week ahead! Plus, we answer your listener questions. As always, the show will be available on the Tar Heel Voices Podcast Channel. It's set to roll out Wednesday morning wherever you get your podcasts.

That's all for now! Go Heels!

-Matt