Carmichael Comments: Keeping It Going

Logic – and human nature – suggests that topping the emotions surrounding the win over NC State at Carmichael Arena on Jan. 15 would be difficult to do for the Carolina women's basketball team.

But wouldn't you know, the Tar Heels did it. In two different ways: in the stands and on the court.

Thanks to a scheduling quirk, Carolina held its two biggest home games of the season as back-to-back games with Duke visiting Carmichael just four days after the NC State contest. The two games were part of the Tar Heels' first-ever three-game homestand exclusively against ACC opponents – a busy and critical stretch for the team inside the lines and the ace marketing staff, too. While an 8 p.m. tipoff on a Thursday against Duke may have been less favorable to the numerous families who attended a Sunday afternoon tilt against NC State, the Carolina students made up for the difference by packing the stands and providing the largest student turnout for a game in recent memory. The line snaked up the stairs outside Carmichael Arena and out onto the sidewalk along South Road…down past Fetzer Hall…and down to Student Stores. The announced crowd of 5,003 ensured that even in the middle of the week, the Duke rivalry game would be played in front of a crowd of at least 5,000 for the second straight season.
"That was really electric," Carolina Head Coach Courtney Banghart said. "To have that many students really leading the charge with our fanbase, it was electric. Obviously, it's a huge game. It's a ranked opponent, a rival, and an ACC front-runner. I'll never forget the crowd that showed up for this team."

The momentum around the fanbase was perhaps even more evident on Sunday. Carolina hosted a Georgia Tech team near the cellar of the ACC in the third home game in eight days. Throw in the Carolina men's team, and it was the fifth basketball game in Chapel Hill in that same span. It was raining outside. The kind of day that makes you want to grab a blanket and a hot chocolate and curl up on the couch with your dog or cat (just don't give your dog the hot chocolate). And if you were doing that, the mega-popular NFL Playoffs were on TV at the same time.

But even with all those factors, the Tar Heels and their expanding fanbase drew 4,418 fans to Carmichael. Carolina will conclude January averaging 4,929 fans per home game, hands down the best for a month in the Banghart era. Just imagine what the atmosphere could be for hosting the NCAA Tournament in March!

Then, there's the between-the-lines aspect of maintaining success. Carolina answered the call of playing another ranked rival on Thursday, holding off Duke 61-56 for the program's first ever run of three straight home games against ranked teams with all three resulting in wins. But much like the crowds, keeping the momentum rolling against Georgia Tech was critical.

All the Tar Heels did on Sunday was come out and shoot 47 percent, build a double-digit lead, and roll over the Yellow Jackets to defend home court. The result gives Carolina its first five-game ACC win streak in the Banghart era. For the head coach, the ability to rise to the occasion against the Yellow Jackets even off a run of emotional contests against ranked foes is a testament to the mindset of her players.

"If you recruit kids that aren't front-runners, you're not going to be in the front very much," Banghart said. "We didn't really have to address it with them. We don't have the luxury of dropping one along the way, and they know that."

With at least three straight games coming against teams currently in the bottom half of the ACC standings, that mindset will be critical in the next few weeks. Oh, and there are just four home games left in the regular season. Come be a part of it.

Here's what else caught my eye this week…

Ustby Performs Under Adversity
Courtney Banghart received a text on Thursday morning from Athletic Trainer Jodi Schneider. The subject? Alyssa Ustby, always a key piece to Carolina's success in difficult ACC matchups against teams like Duke. The bad news: Ustby was receiving IV treatment. The good news: tests for COVID and strep throat came back negative. So, battling what Banghart later referred to as a "nasty cold," Ustby took her normal place in the starting lineup for the game at 8:00 p.m. Watching from afar, you'd never know anything was different for No. 1. She scored 16 points in the win on an impressive and efficient 8-for-11 shooting night, snared five rebounds, and handed out three assists.

"The kid's a warrior," Banghart said.

After a limited run in practice on Friday to rest further, Ustby was back at it on Sunday against Georgia Tech, and delivered once more with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Threes Falling
Sundays have been particularly good days for the Tar Heels to shoot from three-point range of late. Seven days after cashing in on nine of 19 long-range looks against NC State, the Tar Heels hit eight threes against Georgia Tech, six in the first half. The success from distance isn't an overnight sensation for Carolina, but rather the meeting of "good shots" and the shots actually going in. Sounds simple, right?

"We've been taking threes, we just haven't been making them," Banghart remarked with a grin. "The game plan is to work together to get great shots, I thought we did that. I thought we got better shots in rhythm, in openings, the ball moved."

The most positive growth in three-point shooting this week came from Deja Kelly, who connected on four threes on Sunday, one off her career high. If Kelly can consistently find her range down the stretch in the regular season, well, look out.

Opponents Crumbl-ing At Foul Line
Our friends at Learfield have a new promotion for the ever-growing crowds at Carmichael Arena. Learfield has partnered with Crumbl Cookies, a popular cookie chain with multiple local locations – including one opening on Franklin Street next month – to launch the Crumbl Under Pressure promotion. If an opponent misses both free throws in a trip to the foul line in the second half, fans can take their game ticket to Crumbl for a free cookie. Sure enough, in both the Duke and Georgia Tech games, the promotion has been activated with a pair of free throw misses. It's quickly becoming a favorite moment for the student section, located directly behind the basket the opponents shoot on in the second half. Students have brought a black curtain dubbed the "curtain of distraction" that opens to reveal a costumed and/or dancing student fan. Banghart has taken notice, quickly praising the curtain of distraction as integral for building the special atmosphere at Carmichael Arena. But, there is one thing she'd change about the promotion: the curtain distracts rebounders, too.

"I think we need to change the Crumbl challenge to they miss two free throws, AND we secure the defensive rebound," Banghart joked.

Up Next
It's out on the road for a pair of games for the Tar Heels this week. For the first time since 2013, Carolina will play a Thursday/Sunday pair of games in two different states – with neither state being North Carolina. Up first, the Tar Heels will jump on the plane to Pittsburgh for a Thursday evening clash with the Pitt Panthers. While Pitt might be 0-8 in the ACC, the all-time series with Carolina is tied 6-6, and the Panthers have played Miami and Virginia Tech to within single digits at their home in the Petersen Events Center.

This is an important game for Carolina to keep doing what we discussed above: keep the train rolling and stack wins. Tip on Thursday is set for 6:00 p.m., with our THSN coverage beginning with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show at 5:30 p.m. Catch the broadcast locally on 97.9 FM/1360 AM in the Triangle (starting right at 6:00), or worldwide for free via our THSN streaming platforms: GoHeels.com, the GoHeels app, and the Varsity Network app from Learfield.

Then on Sunday, Carolina heads to Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. to tangle with the Tigers at 4:00 p.m. The Tar Heels have earned five straight wins over Clemson since 2018, including a pair of triumphs at Littlejohn. They'll look to run that streak to six in a row on Sunday, but Clemson is a very tough team at home, having beaten Virginia Tech there and fallen to Notre Dame by just three. We'll be on the air at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. Find us via all the normal channels - locally on 97.9 FM/1360 AM in the Triangle, or worldwide for free via our THSN streaming platforms: GoHeels.com, the GoHeels app, and the Varsity Network app from Learfield.

In the meantime, check out the latest edition of Holding Court with Courtney Banghart, which is available on the Tar Heel Voices Podcast Channel. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. It will also air on Wednesday night at 8:00 on WCHL in Chapel Hill.

That's all for now. Go Heels!