Carmichael Comments: The Great Eight

The situation was clear on Sunday at Carmichael Arena. A mere eight Tar Heels were in uniform for a showdown with Boston College, a game in which Carolina would be playing to snap a two-game losing streak and defend home court. The grind of the season and an accumulation of injuries and absences to players such as Alyssa Ustby, Eva Hodgson, and Anya Poole left the Heels down three starters for the matchup with the Eagles.

Enter three first-time starters in Alexandra Zelaya, Kayla McPherson, and Teonni Key.

When the trio took the floor alongside constants Deja Kelly and Kennedy Todd-Williams, it marked the first time since the 2020-21 season opener that three players made their first start in Carolina blue in the same game, when, in a twist of coincidence, Kelly and Todd-Williams made the start alongside Petra Holešínská. But even then, Holešínská was a college basketball veteran with 71 starts at Illinois. On Sunday, each of the first-time Carolina starters was truly a first-time starter. And this wasn't an early-season game against a mid-major. This was an Atlantic Coast Conference game against a team that owned wins over NC State and Florida State. This was a game the Tar Heels needed to have.

There are a number of stats you could pick out that provide reasons why Carolina dropped its Thursday night game against Syracuse, 75-67, but at the end of the day, the personnel available played a major role. Already without Hodgson and Ustby, Poole fell on her shoulder in the third quarter and did not return. That meant Kelly and Todd-Williams were suddenly on the floor with three bench players at a time. When a player is younger in their career, they're prone to think more, especially on defense, and the natural reactions just aren't there.

"Experience is really important, and when you don't have it, it slows you down," Carolina coach Courtney Banghart explained.

Teams in the ACC can get away with that sometimes against early season opponents, but not against a team like Syracuse. Or Boston College.

"They're playing against really talented and really experienced people," Banghart said of her young core.

But unlike the conclusion of the Syracuse game, the young, growing Tar Heels answered the call against the Eagles on Sunday at home. Carolina built an 11-point lead by the end of the first quarter, a 17-point edge at halftime, and led by as many as 26 before winning 73-55. Not only had the eight healthy bodies earned a win, they had put together one of the more complete games Carolina has played in ACC competition.

"We were better today," a relieved Banghart said postgame. "We had a lot of assists, we were better defensively."

Fourteen of the Tar Heels' 27 made baskets, a number which tied an ACC season high for this year, were assisted, a far cry from the three assists handed out a week earlier at Louisville. Banghart also pointed to the 13 steals grabbed against Boston College as a tangible sign of defensive growth. The 6-3 Maria Gakdeng, a post presence for the Eagles who is already a matchup problem even before the injury to Anya Poole, was held to three points on 1-for-8 shooting from the floor.

Yes, I'd say that's defensive growth.

And that brings us to the most impressive stat of all – rebounding. Carolina won the glass, 38-33, the first game winning the rebound battle without Ustby. Even without her and Poole, two of the top 20 rebounders in the entire ACC, Carolina held Boston College to six offensive rebounds when the Eagles came in averaging over 14 a night.

"We really took pride in our 1-v-1," Banghart said. "We worked really hard on it, knowing we're a bit undersized in that area and we needed it."

Who knows how this 2022-23 season will turn out? What we do know is that whoever might be available on a given day in a Carolina uniform will answer the call.

Here's what else caught my eye this week…

Kelly's 32-point night…
Thursday's loss at Syracuse was mostly a forgettable night for the Tar Heels, with one major exception. Deja Kelly scored a career-best 32 points in the setback, cashing in on a career-best 13 field goal attempts and matching her season high with four made threes. The performance helped give Carolina a chance late, even with the Orange blitzing the Tar Heels out of the halftime locker room to score 31 in the third quarter. Kelly has needed to carry a larger burden offensively of late with the combined 24 points a game from Alyssa Ustby and Eva Hodgson unavailable, and the Syracuse game shows how she has answered the call.

"She understood where the holes and angles were in their zone," Banghart said. "She played a great game, and we needed it."

…And leadership in the locker room
Even after a banner night that re-wrote her own personal record books, Kelly carried an extra role in the locker room postgame. Banghart mentioned multiple times to the media that the sense of urgency needed to win an ACC game on the road was absent from her young players in the loss, and Kelly took it upon herself to address the team. Based on her own comments to the media, Kelly reinforced the notion of playing with urgency, a message that was clearly taken to heart by Sunday. It's no secret that great teams have player-driven leadership, and while Thursday's talk made its way into the public eye, it's a common occurrence, says Banghart.

"We start our season in June," Banghart said, referring to the start of workouts with a complete roster for the ensuing season. "We've been doing this for a long, long time. In that moment, it was Deja, in other moments it's (Kennedy Todd-Williams), in others it's Alyssa (Ustby). It's one of many conversations they've had without us (coaches) around, one of many they've had with us around."

McPherson also sets career high
In the Sunday win over Boston College, Kayla McPherson was one of the young players to answer the call to step up. Playing in just her fifth career game, the Georgia native and former top-20 recruit in the nation from the class of 2021 exploded for 22 points, making her the sixth Tar Heel with a 20-point game this season and second Carolina player after Paulina Paris to garner ACC Rookie of the Week honors.

Another impressive note from her performance? McPherson played a career-best 30 minutes and had just three turnovers. In her last appearance at home, she played 18 minutes with four giveaways. Playing under control and taking better care of the ball is a key to her success, Banghart says.

"Kayla's a creative player, and with that creativity comes risk," Banghart explained. "But also, it's the first time she's played with some of these teammates. Finding out how to get them involved while also being able to get hers, it's amazing how she's picked that up."

Up Next
The Tar Heels' penultimate week of ACC play will keep Carolina in the Triangle for one road game and one home game. Up first, it's a Thursday night trip to Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh to meet NC State. The Wolfpack tumbled out of the AP Top 25 rankings this week after two losses a week ago to Virginia Tech at home and a setback at Virginia on Sunday, but Reynolds will still be sold out for this rivalry matchup. Carolina won 56-47 at Carmichael back on January 15th, so a win on Thursday would mean the first season sweep of the Pack since 2015. It would also be a fourth ACC road win of the season, and first over a team not currently projected to play in the ACC Tournament's first round. Point being: it's a big one, and another feather in Carolina's cap to strengthen the case for hosting in the NCAA Tournament. Thursday's tip is set for 8:00 p.m., with THSN coverage at 7:30 p.m. beginning with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. You can find us at all the normal spots: 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.

Then on Sunday, the Tar Heels return to Carmichael for a date with Wake Forest, the final team that Carolina will see for the first time in the 2022-23 season. Sunday's quest for a 13th home win, matching the total from 2021-22, will begin at 4:00 p.m., and THSN airtime is 3:30 p.m. for the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. Catch the call 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. If you're able, come out and join us at Carmichael! Get your tickets here.

In the meantime, check out the latest edition of Holding Court with Courtney Banghart, which is available on the Tar Heel Voices Podcast Channel. It's a special show this week with interviews with Destiny Adams and Director of Operations Jessika Carrington, who tells a story about pancakes that you have to hear to believe. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

That's all for now. Go Heels!