Carmichael Comments: Style Discussion

Deja Kelly and the Tar Heels play their next three games against in-state ACC rivals.

Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI

January 25, 2022 | Women's Basketball

By: Matt Krause (@MattKrausePxP)

Watch the Carolina Women's Basketball team play this season, and you'll come to know that the Tar Heels like to play fast and push the tempo. The team thrives on transition opportunities, kick-starting an offense that scored 70 points or more in 13 of the team's first 15 games of the season en route to a 14-1 start. Not every team in America – and the ACC, for that matter – wants to play that way. Some would rather slow the game down, keep the score in the 50s, and try to win solely on the strength of their defense. Some might call that "mucking the game up."

Carolina was faced with the challenge this past week of a pair of teams who wanted to do just that in Virginia and Georgia Tech. Though the Tar Heels earned a home win over Virginia on Thursday, the Cavaliers imposed their will and style in a 61-52 final score. Then on Sunday, the preferred style dictated the winner in a 55-38 Georgia Tech win over the Tar Heels. That's back-to-back games in which the 70-point threshold was not achieved. Though Carolina and its fans would have preferred to see a road win on Sunday, it's important to examine the stylistic differences between the two teams to provide some context on the low-scoring defeat.

Coming into the Georgia Tech game, Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart felt that the placement of the Cavaliers on the schedule just before the Yellow Jackets would be beneficial for a Tar Heel team that is still young, growing, and developing.

"I think it was helpful," the third-year Carolina leader remarked. "It forced us to generate our own tempo, which we haven't had to do because of the way we were able to play against Virginia Tech, and even against NC State."

What does she mean by that? Well, for one, it's reflected in the number of shot attempts taken in the game. In that Jan. 9 win against the Hokies, the game featured 122 combined shot attempts and 20 offensive rebounds. In the Virginia game less than two weeks later, there were 129 attempts, and 43 offensive rebounds. That's 16 more shot attempts which ended a possession in the faster-tempo Virginia Tech game. Though Virginia did have some success in slowing Carolina down, the Tar Heels still prevailed with the win.

"It's hard to win in the ACC, and you're never too good to be appreciative of wins," Banghart said. "Let's honor the fact that we found a way, and move along."

Georgia Tech was another level of challenge, as the Yellow Jackets entered the weekend no. 1 nationally in scoring defense (46.8 PPG) and no. 2 in defensive efficiency (32.5 percent). Now on to another question: just how do you create that tempo?

"It's just an understanding that there's a pace that you play at whether you have the ball or you don't – with your cutting, your vision, and with how the ball moves," Banghart explained.

Unfortunately for Carolina, it was the hosts who controlled the tempo, especially early. Georgia Tech raced out to a 29-9 lead with a 71% shooting effort in the first quarter, but the Tar Heels quickly settled things down and held the Jackets without a field goal for a 13:36 stretch bridging the second and third quarters. By earning stops, transition opportunities followed, but it was not enough to erase the large hole, with the Tar Heels shooting only 29% for the game.

"We just didn't play well enough, especially on the offensive end," Banghart said. "I know it's a good defensive team, but you can't come in here and shoot what we did."

Consider it a lesson learned. In a clash of styles between talented teams, Carolina now knows how critical dictating their style of play is.

Here's what else caught my eye this week…

Small Again
As Coach Banghart's tenure progresses, she and her staff have been able to construct a roster composed of players with diverse and versatile skillsets. The Tar Heels' 2021-22 roster is built around length and athleticism, a trait that has allowed Carolina to play big if the situation calls for it, or small if an opponent is guard-dominant. By that logic, it wasn't much of a surprise to see reserve posts Alexandra Zelaya, Malu Tshitenge, and Destiny Adams see extended playing time on Sunday in Atlanta against a tall Georgia Tech team that starts one player under six feet. But the unique lineup combination on Sunday that stood out was the quintet with which the Tar Heels began the second half. The four starting guards – Alyssa Ustby, Carlie Littlefield, Kennedy Todd-Williams, and Deja Kelly – took the floor, along with "sixth player" Eva Hodgson, a versatile guard herself. This five-guard lineup was used in the second half of the Tar Heels' Nov. 26 win over VCU, an opponent who relied on quick guards to score – certainly not a primary trait of the Yellow Jackets. In such a lineup, Ustby, who is listed on the roster as a guard but primarily plays the four spot and guards forwards for Carolina, shifts over to the five.

"We just had to be more aggressive around the perimeter," Banghart explained. "We weren't defending their size in the paint as it was, so we decided to a little bit quicker and hope that would put more pressure on the ball, which it did."

During the brief time all five of those guards were on the floor at once, the Yellow Jackets didn't hit a field goal. So, in that regard, mission accomplished.

Importance of Free Throws
In last Sunday's road loss at Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish attempted 24 free throws, while Carolina stepped to the foul line a mere eight times. Playing another game decided by single digits on Thursday against Virginia, the Tar Heels flipped the script, shooting 18-for-25 (72%) from the charity stripe while the Cavaliers went just 4-for-10.

"When we're able to get out and run, that really helps us," Banghart explained. "We've got great attack, we share the ball well, and when you're not playing against zone, you've got more lanes. We were able to find them and not settle."

The 72% marked Carolina's best free throw percentage in a four-game span, while Virginia's four made shots matched a season low for a Carolina opponent (VCU also hit just four free throws in the aforementioned Nov. 26 game). The last time an ACC opponent had that much trouble scoring with the clock stopped was, coincidentally enough, the same Cavaliers on Jan. 2, 2020, when they went 2-for-4 from the line in a 65-47 UNC road win. A return to the other side of the coin was quick for the Tar Heels, as Carolina shot 3-for-11 from the line in the Georgia Tech loss. Sure, eight more points wouldn't have altered the final outcome, but it could have made the contest a lot more compelling and put additional pressure on the Jackets.

One thing is for sure: as the season approaches crunch time, making free throws will be critical to the Tar Heels' success.

Todd-Williams' Scoring on Display
Among those 18 made free throws on Thursday against Virginia, eight came from sophomore guard Kennedy Todd-Williams, part of a career-best 15-point night for the Jacksonville, N.C. native. Not only did Todd-Williams sink eight free throws, she attempted eight – a perfect night. Then Sunday in Atlanta, she was the lone Tar Heel to crack double figures in scoring with 10 points, and hit two three-pointers in the process. The week's efforts were part of a very productive stretch for Todd-Williams, who now owns her second three-game streak of 10+ points scored this season. In fact, both streaks have come in the last eight games, a stretch in which she is averaging 9.9 points per game. For context, Todd-Williams cracked the 10-point mark just four times as a freshman, with only two of those games coming against ACC opponents.

"I just love Kennedy Todd-Williams," Banghart said after Thursday's game against Virginia. "I love the parts of her game, and she had a lot of it on display tonight."

Though Todd-Williams might be most valuable for her defense, with Banghart applying the label "perhaps the best defender I've ever coached," the versatile guard now seems to be adding scorer to reputation, too.

Up Next
Welcome to rivalry week. For the first time since 2018, the ACC has scheduled the Tar Heels to play their three traditional Tobacco Road rivals – Duke, NC State, and Wake Forest – all in a row. The Wake Forest game isn't until Thursday, Feb. 3, meaning that all the attention this particular week centers on the Blue Devils and Wolfpack.

No. 21 Duke is up first, with the first of two meetings this season against the Tar Heels taking place Thursday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Due to the Blue Devils opting out of the 2020-21 season after just four games, this game will be the first showdown between the two rivals separated by just eight miles since Mar. 1, 2020. On top of that, it's the first Carolina-Duke game in the new era of Coach Banghart vs. Duke's Kara Lawson, who took the job in the summer of 2020. Coach Lawson has Duke off to a 13-4 start this season, a record that includes a 4-3 mark in the ACC. Among Duke's losses, the Blue Devils have fallen to national powers South Carolina and NC State, and have been swept already by Virginia Tech. The Tar Heels haven't won in Cameron Indoor Stadium since 2014, but like we said, it's a new era for this rivalry. No better time to flip the script. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Broadcast coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. 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.

Then on Sunday, No. 3 NC State will bring its 18-2 record and 9-0 ACC mark to Carmichael for the second of the two annual meetings with the Tar Heels. The Wolfpack have won 17 straight games against ACC opponents since falling in Chapel Hill on Feb. 7, 2021, 76-69. With two straight home wins over a top-10 ranked NC State team, Carolina will look to make it three in a row on Sunday in what will be a raucous environment that Tar Heel fans don't want to miss. Tip is set for 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Broadcast coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. 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 8:00 p.m. on WCHL. Tune in to hear from Coach Banghart on all things Carolina Women's Basketball, including a preview of this week's games. 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