Carmichael Comments: Regrouping

There's no denying that Friday's ACC Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal loss to Virginia Tech was a disappointment for the Tar Heels. A hard-fought 87-80 overtime loss to the Hokies that featured nine ties and 11 lead changes provided a March classic for a neutral observer, but heartbreak for those who have come to love this year's Carolina women's basketball team.

For the team members themselves, the game provided a chance to grow, to learn, and to realize the challenges that postseason basketball provides. We've talked in this column all season about how this season has been one of incremental improvement for a Tar Heels team that, while successful, is still on the younger side of a very deep ACC. And as the process of incremental growth continues, learning how to win in the postseason is another one of those growth steps.

"I think the biggest help is the whole March mentality – survive and advance," Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart said. "Unfortunately, you don't really get it until it hits you. This group has learned that if you're not good enough, it's over."

That was the lesson Carolina learned on Friday, when Virginia Tech seized momentum and earned the overtime win. In this case, the "it" that was over was the hope of a 10th ACC Championship, which would be the most among active teams in the conference. What isn't over, though, is the 2021-22 season. The Tar Heels' 23-6 overall record has Carolina comfortably into the NCAA Tournament field of 68, and comfortably in the range of a single-digit seed. The idea that the setback to the Hokies could allow the team to regroup and recalibrate for the road ahead in March Madness wasn't lost on Banghart.

"This is a good ignition as we get into the Big Dance here soon," she reflected postgame.

In some ways, the Virginia Tech game was a postseason baptism by fire. Only two Tar Heels – Malu Tshitenge and Jaelynn Murray – had played an ACC Tournament game with a full capacity of fans permitted in the venerable Greensboro Coliseum. Now, thanks to the double bye, Carolina had to immediately face a team with an identical ACC regular season mark of 13-5, and a team with whom the Tar Heels split a pair of games in the regular year. So even when the Hokies began the game without starting guard Cayla King, injured in Virginia Tech's ACC second round win over Clemson, and then lost ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley to injury early in the game, Tech provided a formidable test. Guards Georgia Amoore, Aisha Sheppard, and Kayana Traylor carried the load, scoring 63 of the 87 points. Though the Tar Heels tried their hardest to defend the trio, it was ultimately not enough to earn the win.

"This is a great learning opportunity," Banghart said. "As I told them in the locker room, 'March is full of really good players, your effort is no longer enough.'"

Banghart pointed to the offensive adjustments made by Virginia Tech after Kitley's injury as a catalyst for the Tar Heels' defensive struggles.
"We've played them so many times, there's been a very consistent lineup, so we felt like we had our reads in how we were defending them," Banghart explained. "So when she goes out, although she's a premier player for them, that changed a lot of how we were going to defend."

Ultimately, when the Hokies adjusted, so did Carolina. That's basketball – each individual game evolves, and turns into a chess match between the respective coaches. However, Banghart pointed to momentary lapses in defensive coverages as a cause for Virginia Tech's offensive success. The timing and execution of those adjustments was partially to blame.

"We should be able to do that on the fly, so I don't think this was a game that we earned," she said.

While the game ultimately ended in defeat, the blessing in disguise came from a twofold ability for rejuvenation. First, Carolina was able to have the weekend off for much-needed rest to allow the players' bodies to recover further for an NCAA Tournament run to come. Then, the lack of games this week meant extra time for a film session to break down the team's March debut. Their leader believes that mentally flushing the mistakes through studying them and knowing how to improve will lead to success down the line.

"Sometimes it's good to move on, and other times it's good to show them 'okay, this is what happened, so you don't think about what happened,'" Banghart explained.

And that "down the line" is very soon – next week, to be exact.

"Wherever we end up in in the NCAA Tournament, we have this as an example," she said.

So while a 10^th ACC Championship would have been nice, there's another shot next year. But this year's team isn't done yet, and the temporary pain and disappointment of a loss in Greensboro could be the seed the bears the fruit of March Madness glory.

Here's what else caught my eye this week…

Hodgson's Shining Moment
When Virginia Tech's Georgia Amoore hit a layup and converted an and-one free throw with less than three seconds to play, the Tar Heels found themselves down 69-66. Banghart called timeout, which allowed Carolina to advance the ball into the frontcourt to run one final play to attempt to tie the game. That's when the former Naismith National Coach of the Year worked her magic.

"I play chess, you play hoop," Banghart said to her team.

No pawns or rooks here, but Banghart dialed up a play to get Eva Hodgson a look from the left wing. The redshirt junior, who had scored 10+ points in both regular season games against the Hokies, released the ball just in time and swished home the triple. Upon the ball tumbling through the twine, Hodgson dropped to her knees and slid toward midcourt, teammates racing out from the bench to mob her. But as Hodgson's teammate Deja Kelly spoke about postgame, the emotional rush had to be quickly put aside.

"Once Eva hit that shot, we were excited to have another chance in overtime, but I had to remind our team in the huddle 'the score is zero-zero now,' and that we had to play like it was a new game," Kelly explained.

Tournament Town Delivers
Despite an early 11 a.m. tip time on a workday and school day on Friday, the Greensboro Coliseum was rocking for the Carolina-Virginia Tech showdown. The crowd, which filled much of the building's lower bowl, was a majority Carolina blue, with a smattering of NC State red (the Wolfpack played immediately after the Tar Heels) and Virginia Tech maroon and orange behind the Hokies' bench. Simply put, it was an incredible environment for a game befitting the tradition-rich ACC.

"I want to thank Greensboro," Banghart said. "You guys run a first-class event. Our athletes feel welcome, they feel supported, and obviously the crowd is ignited by these teams."

Up Next
The Tar Heels will await their NCAA Tournament seeding, opponent, and destination, which will be announced on Sunday night at 8 p.m. on the NCAA Women's Selection Special on ESPN. Be sure to tune in to see what lies ahead for the Heels! Stay tuned to GoHeels.com and @uncwbb social media channels for more information on how the general public can participate in the celebration with the program.

Once the plans for the Big Dance are set, we'll have another Carmichael Comments next week, then a return of Holding Court with Courtney Banghart on Tuesday, Mar. 15.

That's all for now. Go Heels!

-Matt