Carmichael Comments: Dancing

During the grind and ever-constant pursuit of excellence that encompasses a college basketball season, it's not common to find time to stop and appreciate the journey. To soak in the accomplishments and successes.

Sunday evening, the Carolina women's basketball team did just that. Then, they got to work.

A Carolina team picked seventh in its own conference's preseason poll was able to hear its name called as a No. 5 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, playing in the Greensboro Regional. The Tar Heels will first match up with WAC champion Stephen F. Austin in Tucson, Ariz., with a potential true road game against defending national runner-up Arizona looming if both higher seeds win in the NCAA's first round.

"You guys should be really proud," Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart told her team. "A five seed in the NCAA Tournament. You were picked seventh in your own conference, and you found a way to – one game at a time – earn a five seed in what I consider the premier sporting event in college athletics."

One game at a time is right. While the regular season provided a thrill ride for Carolina fans with memorable wins over teams such as No. 3 Louisville and archrival Duke, it took taking a step back and understanding how hard it is to earn a No. 5 seed to allow the achievement to soak in.

While the prognosticators and general women's basketball universe might be surprised at Carolina's growth this season – the Tar Heels were a No. 10 seed last year, meaning a five-seed line jump this season – Banghart saw the seeds being planted as early as the preseason.

"At ACC media day, I told the panel, 'this is a better team than you think,'" Banghart said. "'You don't know how much improvement our roster has made. You don't know our grad transfers. You don't know the size of Jaelynn Murray's heart. You don't know our rookies and how much energy they bring.'"

Though Banghart shared that message with the media, she encouraged her team to approach the season with a businesslike mindset, a key in reaching 23 regular season wins for the first time since 2014-15. The next order of business is Stephen F. Austin, a Saturday matchup that gives Carolina the chance to win its first NCAA Tournament game since that 2015 season.

Playing an unfamiliar opponent and beginning the scouting process from scratch is part of what makes the postseason so fun and exciting for Banghart and her staff.

"It's so rare that you get to look at a team as a total for who they are, and with no biases," Banghart said. "Any team in March has earned it. I know (Stephen F. Austin's) record, and that speaks for itself."

And while she can control the game plan and leading the team to this position, the eventual NCAA Tournament destination is mostly left to the committee to decide. Still, Banghart jokingly took credit for the unique and new experience ahead for her players.

"Tucson, Arizona for spring break," she quipped. "Can I do anything else for you?"

Here's a look at the opponents Carolina can and will face this week…

#12 Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks
28-4, 17-1 WAC
Series History: First Meeting
Coach Banghart History: First Meeting

Synopsis: Only four other teams in the entire country have as many – or more – wins than Stephen F. Austin this season. NC State, South Carolina, and Florida Gulf Coast each enter the NCAA Tournament with 29 wins, while Stanford and Stephen F. Austin have posted 28 triumphs apiece. The Ladyjacks are making their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and have drawn a second straight first round meeting with an ACC team. A year ago, SFA led Georgia Tech at halftime, 34-17, in a first-round showdown, but saw the Yellow Jackets rally to force overtime and eventually win 54-52. This year's Ladyjacks are in their first season in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and rolled through the league at 17-1. SFA won its first 17 WAC games before a two-point home upset loss to UTRGV on Senior Day, a loss that snapped their national-best 38-game home win streak. SFA's bounceback was swift and thorough, with two double-digit wins over Utah Valley and Grand Canyon to claim the WAC Tournament title. The Ladyjacks' bread and butter is a pressure defense that forces over 24 turnovers per game, second nationally. Their +8.3 turnover margin ranks first in all of Division I. They're also extremely efficient offensively, ranking 30th in the country in field goal percentage at 44.6%, and top-20 nationally in scoring offense (75.0 PPG) and assists per game (16.3). Mark Kellogg is in his seventh season at the helm in Nacogdoches, Texas, and garnered WAC Coach of the Year honors this season after winning the same honor last season in SFA's final season in the Southland Conference. Individually, four of the Ladyjacks' five starters earned All-WAC honors: F Aiyana Johnson (14.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG) and G Stephanie Visscher (14.3 PPG, 38.2% 3pt percentage) were named to the first team, G Zya Nugent (12.4 PPG) was named to the second team, and both Visscher and G Brianna Mitchell were named to the WAC All-Defensive Team.

#4 Arizona Wildcats
20-7, 10-6 Pac-12
Series History: First Meeting
Coach Banghart History: First Meeting

Synopsis: A team that played for the national championship last season, Arizona has been in the national conversation again in 2021-22 despite losing G Aari McDonald to the third overall pick in the WNBA Draft. Sixth-year head coach Adia Barnes helped her team to a season-opening win over Louisville on a neutral floor in Sioux Falls, S.D., part of a 10-0 start to the season. While Pac-12 play was more of a roller coaster for the Wildcats, the body of work was still impressive enough to garner a hosting role for the NCAA Tournament first weekend for the first time since 1998 and just the second time ever. Part of the rationale for the committee to reward Arizona was the fact that the Wildcats' leading scorer, F Cate Reese, missed the final two regular season games and the Pac-12 Tournament due to injury, and Arizona went 1-2 in that stretch with a loss to UCLA and a Pac-12 Tournament loss to Colorado. In both of those setbacks, Arizona was held below 50 points – clearly missing the contributions of Reese's 14.6 points per game. However, all indications are that Reese is healthy and will return for the NCAA Tournament this week. Either way, it's a big storyline to monitor. The Wildcats are a defense-oriented team, ranking in the top 50 nationally in scoring defense (56.8 PPG) and steals per game at 10.5, and have held 17 of their 27 foes to 60 points or fewer. It's no surprise, then, that Arizona had two players recognized as All-Pac-12 defensive team selections – F Sam Thomas, who was named to the all-defensive team and honorable mention All-Pac-12, and G Helena Pueyo, an honorable mention defensive pick. Reese was named All-Pac-12 for her strong season as well.

#13 UNLV Rebels
26-6, 15-3 Mountain West
Series History: UNC leads, 4-0
Last Meeting: 12/12/10- UNC wins, 78-66, at Carmichael Arena
Coach Banghart History: First Meeting

Synopsis: The only potential weekend opponent that Carolina has played in the past, UNLV is making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2002. Second-year head coach Lindy La Rocque, hired at just 30 years old, turned a team that went 13-17 in 2019-20 into a squad that went 15-9 a year ago and 26-6 this season. UNLV boasts a high-powered offense, scoring 75.6 points per game to rank 19th nationally, fueled by a 35.8% three-point percentage that is also in the top 20 in the nation. Yet the Rebels can score it inside, too. C Desi-Rae Young was named Mountain West Player of the Year thanks to an average of 15.1 PPG and 8.4 RPG. She was joined on the All-Conference team by the team's leading scorer, G Essence Booker, who scores 15.6 PPG and shoots nearly 38% from three-point range. Young and G Justice Ethridge appeared on the Mountain West's All-Defensive team, too.

Up Next
The NCAA Tournament begins for Carolina on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time from McKale Center in Tucson. If you're making the trip, that tip time is 4:30 p.m. local in Tucson. Our Tar Heel Sports Network radio coverage will begin at 7:00 p.m. with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. You'll be able to hear the broadcast on all our traditional streaming platforms - the Varsity Network App from Learfield, GoHeels.com, and the GoHeels app – all for free. Additionally, if there is not a conflict with the Carolina men's basketball NCAA Second Round game on Saturday, our flagship station, WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM, will carry the broadcast in its entirety.

Then with a win, Carolina would play on Monday against either Arizona or UNLV at a time to be determined. Our broadcast coverage will begin with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show 30 minutes prior to that tipoff. Whenever the game is, you can hear the broadcast on all our traditional streaming platforms - the Varsity Network App from Learfield, GoHeels.com, and the GoHeels app – all for free. Additionally, if there is not a conflict with the Carolina men's basketball Hubert Davis Show, our flagship station, WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM, 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 7:00 p.m. on WCHL. Tune in to hear from Coach Banghart just moments after the Tar Heels' NCAA Tournament matchup was announced, as well as a chat with Carolina's Arizona connection, sophomore forward Ali Zelaya. 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