University of North Carolina Athletics
Friday, November 24
Estero, Fla.
1:30 PM
North Carolina
vs
Vermont
The Tar Heels practice on Thanksgiving afternoon at Hertz Arena..
For WBB, Thanksgiving Means Prep For Friday's Action
November 23, 2023 | Women's Basketball
ESTERO, Fla. – Among the many reasons to be thankful on Thursday: the UNC women's basketball team got a little bit better.
The team spent part of its Thanksgiving afternoon on the court at the Hertz Center, preparing for the Gulf Coast Showcase, which tips off Friday with a matchup against Vermont. After traveling to Florida on Wednesday evening, the Tar Heels gathered on Thanksgiving morning for breakfast, then stretching and mobility followed by a team meeting and then practice.
This trip marks the first road trip of the season, a milestone for any team. Although the Friday/Saturday/Sunday action won't be in a true "away" environment, the games are nonetheless in an unfamiliar place against challenging opponents. The eight-team tournament includes two other ranked teams – No. 5 Iowa and No. 16 Kansas State – in addition to the No. 18 Tar Heels. Friday's opponent, the 3-1 Vermont Catamounts, won the America East Conference a year ago.
The seven returning Tar Heels on this year's squad have played together in settings like this one before, including trips to the Bahamas and to Portland, Ore., on the past two Thanksgivings, but it's a new experience for this group of 15, which continues to learn and grow together. Four games – and four wins – into the season, each novel experience adds to the overall picture.
UNC wraps up each of its gameday shootarounds with a player hitting a halfcourt shot. With an 1:30 tipoff on Friday and a game happening at the Hertz Center before Carolina's, the Tar Heels won't do a pre-Vermont shootaround so the halfcourt shot happened Thursday.
By the time senior Deja Kelly hit it, the Tar Heels were not only more prepared for Vermont, they were also a more cohesive team, even if only by a little bit. At this point in the season, every incremental improvement counts, and is one more reason to be thankful.
Heels vs. Catamounts
Friday's game is the first ever meeting between North Carolina and Vermont. Outside of this weekend, the teams have no common opponents on their 2023-24 schedules.
• The Catamounts are the second team in UNC's starting five that played in the NCAA Tournament last year. UVM made the postseason as the champion of the America East. (The first was Gardner-Webb, the Tar Heels' opening opponent on Nov. 8. UNC beat the Runnin' Bulldogs, the defending Big South champion, 102-49.)
Scouting Vermont
Vermont is 3-1 on the season with the only blemish a 57-47 loss at Providence in the second game of the year. Otherwise, the Catamounts have home wins over Miami (Ohio) and Saint Rose and a road win at Quinnipiac.
• Vermont averages 56.3 points per game while holding opponents to 50.5 ppg, 20th in the nation.
• Graduate student guard Emma Utterback leads the team in scoring with 15,8 points per game, and senior Anna Olson adds 13.3. Utterback and Olson also led the team in scoring last season as the Catamounts finished 25-7 and reached the NCAA Tournament.
• The Catamounts rode a 17-game winning streak into the tournament before seeing their season end with a 95-52 first-round loss at Connecticut.
• Sixth-year coach Alisa Kresge is the reigning America East Coach of the Year.
Trending
• UNC has held three of its four opponents this season under 50 points and two of them under 40.
• The Tar Heels rank 10th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 47.5 points per game. They're in the top five in turnover margin (13.5, 5th) and turnovers per game (10.2, 4th).
• Carolina fell one spot in both polls this week, to 18th in the AP poll and 17th in the coaches' poll.
• UNC has had a different minutes leader in each of this season's four games. Five Tar Heels average between 25 and 27 minutes per game and 10 players average nine minutes or more.
• Junior Maria Gakdeng is shooting 70.0 percent (21-30) from the field through four games. She ranks 15th nationally in field goal percentage.
Follow
Watch the Gulf Coast Showcase action on Flo Hoops and catch the Tar Heel Radio Network call here.
The team spent part of its Thanksgiving afternoon on the court at the Hertz Center, preparing for the Gulf Coast Showcase, which tips off Friday with a matchup against Vermont. After traveling to Florida on Wednesday evening, the Tar Heels gathered on Thanksgiving morning for breakfast, then stretching and mobility followed by a team meeting and then practice.
Thankful to be together ☀️#GoHeels | #HappyThanksgiving pic.twitter.com/Js6AxKhbgu
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) November 23, 2023
This trip marks the first road trip of the season, a milestone for any team. Although the Friday/Saturday/Sunday action won't be in a true "away" environment, the games are nonetheless in an unfamiliar place against challenging opponents. The eight-team tournament includes two other ranked teams – No. 5 Iowa and No. 16 Kansas State – in addition to the No. 18 Tar Heels. Friday's opponent, the 3-1 Vermont Catamounts, won the America East Conference a year ago.
The seven returning Tar Heels on this year's squad have played together in settings like this one before, including trips to the Bahamas and to Portland, Ore., on the past two Thanksgivings, but it's a new experience for this group of 15, which continues to learn and grow together. Four games – and four wins – into the season, each novel experience adds to the overall picture.
UNC wraps up each of its gameday shootarounds with a player hitting a halfcourt shot. With an 1:30 tipoff on Friday and a game happening at the Hertz Center before Carolina's, the Tar Heels won't do a pre-Vermont shootaround so the halfcourt shot happened Thursday.
By the time senior Deja Kelly hit it, the Tar Heels were not only more prepared for Vermont, they were also a more cohesive team, even if only by a little bit. At this point in the season, every incremental improvement counts, and is one more reason to be thankful.
Heels vs. Catamounts
Friday's game is the first ever meeting between North Carolina and Vermont. Outside of this weekend, the teams have no common opponents on their 2023-24 schedules.
• The Catamounts are the second team in UNC's starting five that played in the NCAA Tournament last year. UVM made the postseason as the champion of the America East. (The first was Gardner-Webb, the Tar Heels' opening opponent on Nov. 8. UNC beat the Runnin' Bulldogs, the defending Big South champion, 102-49.)
Scouting Vermont
Vermont is 3-1 on the season with the only blemish a 57-47 loss at Providence in the second game of the year. Otherwise, the Catamounts have home wins over Miami (Ohio) and Saint Rose and a road win at Quinnipiac.
• Vermont averages 56.3 points per game while holding opponents to 50.5 ppg, 20th in the nation.
• Graduate student guard Emma Utterback leads the team in scoring with 15,8 points per game, and senior Anna Olson adds 13.3. Utterback and Olson also led the team in scoring last season as the Catamounts finished 25-7 and reached the NCAA Tournament.
• The Catamounts rode a 17-game winning streak into the tournament before seeing their season end with a 95-52 first-round loss at Connecticut.
• Sixth-year coach Alisa Kresge is the reigning America East Coach of the Year.
Trending
• UNC has held three of its four opponents this season under 50 points and two of them under 40.
• The Tar Heels rank 10th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 47.5 points per game. They're in the top five in turnover margin (13.5, 5th) and turnovers per game (10.2, 4th).
• Carolina fell one spot in both polls this week, to 18th in the AP poll and 17th in the coaches' poll.
• UNC has had a different minutes leader in each of this season's four games. Five Tar Heels average between 25 and 27 minutes per game and 10 players average nine minutes or more.
• Junior Maria Gakdeng is shooting 70.0 percent (21-30) from the field through four games. She ranks 15th nationally in field goal percentage.
Follow
Watch the Gulf Coast Showcase action on Flo Hoops and catch the Tar Heel Radio Network call here.
Players Mentioned
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