University of North Carolina Athletics
Sunday, February 5
Louisville, Ky.
Noon
North Carolina
at
Louisville
Paulina Paris and the Tar Heels travel to take on Louisville Sunday.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
WBB Travels To Take On Louisville
February 4, 2023 | Women's Basketball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The North Carolina women's basketball team plays for its ninth straight victory on Sunday, taking on Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center. Tipoff is noon and the game will air on ESPN2.
No. 11 UNC comes into the game at 17-5 overall and 8-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The host Cardinals are 16-6 overall and 7-4 in ACC play.
Sunday's game is Louisville's annual Play4Kay game. (UNC's will be on Feb. 12 against Boston College.)
The Tar Heels are looking for their first-ever win in Louisville. The Cardinals lead the series 8-4 and have won all four previous matchups on their home court, including a 79-68 victory on Jan. 28, 2021, the last time the teams met here.
UNC won last year's meeting, snapping a string of eight losses in a row to the Cardinals. On Feb. 17, 2022, the Tar Heels came out on top 66-65 at Carmichael after Kennedy Todd-Williams hit two free throws with 16.2 seconds to play to first tie the game then put the Tar Heels ahead by what would prove to be the final score.
Todd-Williams finished with a then-career-high 19 points for UNC. After her final two put Carolina ahead for good in a game that included 13 lead changes, Louisville got off two shots in the final seconds, a three pointer and a final prayer that hung on the rim – "it felt like an hour," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said – before falling away and launching the Tar Heel celebration.
Deja Kelly also reached double figures with 18 points, 12 of which came before halftime. Alyssa Ustby led UNC in rebounding with nine as the Tar Heels won the battle of the boards by 10, 42-32.
No. 24 UNC held the lead for less than six of the game's 40 minutes.
The Cardinals were ranked No. 3 at the time and are the highest-ranked opponent Carolina has beaten under Banghart, who is in her fourth season in Chapel Hill.
Trending
• After four games in a row in which it shot under 40 percent from the field, Carolina has been above that in each of the past five. In their most recent game, the Tar Heels shot 53.1 percent against Virginia for their best percentage in ACC play and third-highest of the season. It's the highest percentage against an ACC team under fourth-year coach Courtney Banghart – the last time UNC shot better in a conference game was 57.1 vs Boston College on Feb. 17, 2019.
• UNC has limited its last three opponents to 22.6 percent shooting (14-62) from three-point range. Overall, Carolina opponents are shooting .284 in ACC play, .307 for the season.
• Alyssa Ustby had a season-high five steals at Pitt on Jan. 26 and is averaging 3.0 per game over UNC's eight-game winning streak. (She's at 2.5 overall in ACC play, 2.0 for the season.)
• Seven different Tar Heels have led the team in scoring in at least one game this season, with redshirt freshman Kayla McPherson becoming the latest with her 14 points off the bench agaist Virginia. Five different players have at least one game of 20 or more points, most recently freshman Paulina Paris with a career-high 22 at Clemson.
• Deja Kelly has a team-high seven games this season of 20 points or more, with the most recent 23 points at Pitt on Jan. 26.
• Kennedy Todd-Williams has hit double digits in each of the last seven games, the longest streak on the team. She had hit a three in 10 consecutive games before going 0-2 from long range vs. Virginia.
• UNC finished nonconference play shooting .658 from the foul line but has improved considerably in conference play. The Tar Heels are shooting .740 in their 11 ACC games with only three (Miami at .615, Georgia Tech at .535, Clemson at 56.0) below .700. For the season, UNC is shooting .695, 13th in the league. Carolina's ACC-only average was fourth following a 94.7 percent (18-19) shooting night at Pitt but plunged to 10th (.734) after shooting 56.0 at Clemson. UNC is now at eighth (.740) in ACC play after shooting 18-23 vs UVa.
• In ACC games only the Tar Heels rank third in field goal percentage defense, with opponents shooting .349. In the team's current eight-game ACC winning streak, opponents are shooting just .336. UNC ranks third in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 59.5 ppg – over the past eight games, that average is 55.8 ppg.
No. 11 UNC comes into the game at 17-5 overall and 8-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The host Cardinals are 16-6 overall and 7-4 in ACC play.
Sunday's game is Louisville's annual Play4Kay game. (UNC's will be on Feb. 12 against Boston College.)
The Tar Heels are looking for their first-ever win in Louisville. The Cardinals lead the series 8-4 and have won all four previous matchups on their home court, including a 79-68 victory on Jan. 28, 2021, the last time the teams met here.
UNC won last year's meeting, snapping a string of eight losses in a row to the Cardinals. On Feb. 17, 2022, the Tar Heels came out on top 66-65 at Carmichael after Kennedy Todd-Williams hit two free throws with 16.2 seconds to play to first tie the game then put the Tar Heels ahead by what would prove to be the final score.
Todd-Williams finished with a then-career-high 19 points for UNC. After her final two put Carolina ahead for good in a game that included 13 lead changes, Louisville got off two shots in the final seconds, a three pointer and a final prayer that hung on the rim – "it felt like an hour," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said – before falling away and launching the Tar Heel celebration.
Deja Kelly also reached double figures with 18 points, 12 of which came before halftime. Alyssa Ustby led UNC in rebounding with nine as the Tar Heels won the battle of the boards by 10, 42-32.
No. 24 UNC held the lead for less than six of the game's 40 minutes.
The Cardinals were ranked No. 3 at the time and are the highest-ranked opponent Carolina has beaten under Banghart, who is in her fourth season in Chapel Hill.
Trending
• After four games in a row in which it shot under 40 percent from the field, Carolina has been above that in each of the past five. In their most recent game, the Tar Heels shot 53.1 percent against Virginia for their best percentage in ACC play and third-highest of the season. It's the highest percentage against an ACC team under fourth-year coach Courtney Banghart – the last time UNC shot better in a conference game was 57.1 vs Boston College on Feb. 17, 2019.
• UNC has limited its last three opponents to 22.6 percent shooting (14-62) from three-point range. Overall, Carolina opponents are shooting .284 in ACC play, .307 for the season.
• Alyssa Ustby had a season-high five steals at Pitt on Jan. 26 and is averaging 3.0 per game over UNC's eight-game winning streak. (She's at 2.5 overall in ACC play, 2.0 for the season.)
• Seven different Tar Heels have led the team in scoring in at least one game this season, with redshirt freshman Kayla McPherson becoming the latest with her 14 points off the bench agaist Virginia. Five different players have at least one game of 20 or more points, most recently freshman Paulina Paris with a career-high 22 at Clemson.
• Deja Kelly has a team-high seven games this season of 20 points or more, with the most recent 23 points at Pitt on Jan. 26.
• Kennedy Todd-Williams has hit double digits in each of the last seven games, the longest streak on the team. She had hit a three in 10 consecutive games before going 0-2 from long range vs. Virginia.
• UNC finished nonconference play shooting .658 from the foul line but has improved considerably in conference play. The Tar Heels are shooting .740 in their 11 ACC games with only three (Miami at .615, Georgia Tech at .535, Clemson at 56.0) below .700. For the season, UNC is shooting .695, 13th in the league. Carolina's ACC-only average was fourth following a 94.7 percent (18-19) shooting night at Pitt but plunged to 10th (.734) after shooting 56.0 at Clemson. UNC is now at eighth (.740) in ACC play after shooting 18-23 vs UVa.
• In ACC games only the Tar Heels rank third in field goal percentage defense, with opponents shooting .349. In the team's current eight-game ACC winning streak, opponents are shooting just .336. UNC ranks third in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 59.5 ppg – over the past eight games, that average is 55.8 ppg.
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