University of North Carolina Athletics
The Tar Heels went through a light practice on Thursday in Tucson.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Long Trip Behind Them, The Tar Heels Are In Tucson And Ready To Work
March 17, 2022 | Women's Basketball
TUCSON, Ariz. – After a trip that took about twice as long as it was supposed to, the North Carolina women's basketball team arrived in Tucson early Thursday morning, got some sleep then got to work.
Although UNC (23-6) doesn't play until Saturday, the team decided to make the trip out to Arizona on Wednesday instead of Thursday and ended up very glad to have an extra day to adjust. The travel party, which also includes the Tar Heel band and cheerleaders, was delayed about five hours leaving Raleigh Wednesday evening by a windshield wiper issue with the charter plane. After the five hour flight, the group didn't arrive at the Tucson hotel until well after midnight local time on Thursday morning, which was after 3 a.m. back home.
Thursday was mostly for recovery and watching NCAA Men's Tournament action, but the Tar Heels did get in a workout at the University of Arizona practice facility, which is situated beside the McKale Center, where UNC will practice Friday and play Stephen F. Austin on Saturday. (Game time is 4:30 p.m. in Tucson/ 7:30 ET.) The team stretched and went through a light practice for about an hour at midday.
"It's great after a long travel day to be able to get a light workout in," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. "Now it feels even more real, because we're here. Everything we do now is in preparation for our opponent – it's less about you and more about them."
Happy Homecoming: This trip is a visit home for sophomore Alexandra Zelaya, who is from Goodyear, Ariz. She moved to the state with her family at age 3 and has lived in the Phoenix area, about two hours from Tucson, since then. She expects 30-40 family members and friends at the McKale Center Saturday when the Tar Heels take on SFA.
Another Tar Heel, Carlie Littlefield, was born in Scottsdale, Ariz., and lived there until second grade, when her family moved to Iowa. Her father, Chris Littlefield, is a graduate of the University of Arizona.
Tournament Notes: UNC is making its 29th appearance in the NCAA Tournament field and playing as a No. 5 seed for the third time. Both previous occasions also included a trip out west.
2000: UNC played and won its first two games in Santa Barbara, Calif., (but didn't face host UCSB, the No. 4 seed, which was knocked out in the first round) then advanced on to the regional semifinal in Portland, Ore. There, the Tar Heels fell to top-seeded Georgia.
2011: UNC played and won its first two games in Albuquerque, N.M., a neutral site. The Tar Heels beat No. 4 Kentucky to advance to the regional semifinal in Spokane, Wash., where they fell to top-seeded Stanford.
• The Tar Heels are 19-6 all-time in first-round games, with two of those six losses coming in their last two tournament appearances, in 2019 and 2021. (On three occasions – 1986, 1987 and 1993 – UNC got first-round byes.)
Although UNC (23-6) doesn't play until Saturday, the team decided to make the trip out to Arizona on Wednesday instead of Thursday and ended up very glad to have an extra day to adjust. The travel party, which also includes the Tar Heel band and cheerleaders, was delayed about five hours leaving Raleigh Wednesday evening by a windshield wiper issue with the charter plane. After the five hour flight, the group didn't arrive at the Tucson hotel until well after midnight local time on Thursday morning, which was after 3 a.m. back home.
Thursday was mostly for recovery and watching NCAA Men's Tournament action, but the Tar Heels did get in a workout at the University of Arizona practice facility, which is situated beside the McKale Center, where UNC will practice Friday and play Stephen F. Austin on Saturday. (Game time is 4:30 p.m. in Tucson/ 7:30 ET.) The team stretched and went through a light practice for about an hour at midday.
"It's great after a long travel day to be able to get a light workout in," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. "Now it feels even more real, because we're here. Everything we do now is in preparation for our opponent – it's less about you and more about them."
Happy Homecoming: This trip is a visit home for sophomore Alexandra Zelaya, who is from Goodyear, Ariz. She moved to the state with her family at age 3 and has lived in the Phoenix area, about two hours from Tucson, since then. She expects 30-40 family members and friends at the McKale Center Saturday when the Tar Heels take on SFA.
Another Tar Heel, Carlie Littlefield, was born in Scottsdale, Ariz., and lived there until second grade, when her family moved to Iowa. Her father, Chris Littlefield, is a graduate of the University of Arizona.
Tournament Notes: UNC is making its 29th appearance in the NCAA Tournament field and playing as a No. 5 seed for the third time. Both previous occasions also included a trip out west.
2000: UNC played and won its first two games in Santa Barbara, Calif., (but didn't face host UCSB, the No. 4 seed, which was knocked out in the first round) then advanced on to the regional semifinal in Portland, Ore. There, the Tar Heels fell to top-seeded Georgia.
2011: UNC played and won its first two games in Albuquerque, N.M., a neutral site. The Tar Heels beat No. 4 Kentucky to advance to the regional semifinal in Spokane, Wash., where they fell to top-seeded Stanford.
• The Tar Heels are 19-6 all-time in first-round games, with two of those six losses coming in their last two tournament appearances, in 2019 and 2021. (On three occasions – 1986, 1987 and 1993 – UNC got first-round byes.)
Players Mentioned
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