Carmichael Comments: Stacking Wins And Making Strides

Carmichael Comments: Stacking Wins and Making Strides
Vol. 7, No. 2
By: Matt Krause (@MattKrausePxP)

Hey there Tar Heel fans!
Carolina women's basketball is 3-0 after picking up a pair of wins over CAA representatives UNCW and North Carolina A&T. The victories – one at Carmichael Arena and one out on the road in Greensboro – have featured plenty of highlights for a Carolina team that is coming together with each game and practice.
Here's five observations from the week that was…

By holding UNCW to 16 points in the first half, Carolina held an opponent sub-20 in a half for the 27th time under Banghart, and first since Dec. 19, 2023 against Oklahoma. It was the first time since Nov. 15, 2023 against Hampton that the Tar Heels limited an opponent to sub-20 in the game's opening half.

An important key any time you're playing an upset-minded mid-major is to quell their momentum quickly and build a sizable lead early in the game. The Tar Heels did just that on Thursday against UNCW, building a lead of 20-4 late in the first quarter that ballooned to 24 points by halftime at 40-16. UNCW was a mere 1-for-10 from the floor in the game's first quarter, and was shooting only 20% at halftime. Perhaps the only downside was the fact that UNCW had been to the free throw line eight times in the first quarter alone.
"Our activity is good," Carolina Head Coach Courtney Banghart analyzed. "We're still learning how to be disciplined defensively, but I'll take activity. It's always easier to corral that."
The best way to be more disciplined, per Banghart, is to focus on "hand engagement" in on-ball defending. "We have to have hands, not hips," she explained.
On Tuesday at North Carolina A&T, Carolina's team foul total dipped from 21 to 15, a sign of improvement with space still remaining to grow.

Blanca Thomas' 10 rebounds against UNCW are the most for a Tar Heel true freshman since Kennedy Todd-Williams had 10 at Pitt on Feb. 14, 2021.

Blanca Thomas had a big week. The true freshman center from Charlotte utilized her skillset against UNCW to come up with 10 rebounds, which hadn't been achieved by a true freshman at Carolina in four seasons. Thomas also had two blocks in the game, a feat she replicated at North Carolina A&T on Tuesday, a game in which she made her first career start.
Thomas' success is a combination of her natural gifts and her effort behind the scenes, Banghart says.
"Blanca's got so much to offer," her head coach explained. "She's very mobile, she moves well, she elevates laterally, she's got great size," "She's really gotten better and better and better every week."

Carolina wins its true road opener (at North Carolina A&T) for the fourth straight season and 37th time in program history. The four straight years with a win is the longest streak since five straight from 2002-03 through 2006-07.

The game at North Carolina A&T was the earliest true road game on the calendar (Nov. 12) since a Nov. 6, 2018 game at Elon served as the 2018-19 season opener in the year prior to Banghart's arrival in Chapel Hill. In terms of spot on the schedule, playing the third game on the road marked the earliest since game two of the 2021-22 year was played at Charlotte, followed up by another road game at TCU just a few games later. That season's Tar Heels, who would advance all the way to the Sweet 16, seemed to be molded by that experience of two convincing early road wins. And much like this year, a group of young players will be part of the Carolina core. Taking the five freshmen to a rowdy road environment where Carolina's visit was a true novelty feels like an important step before more road challenges come down the line.
"Although we have a lot of returners, we have a lot of youth that we're going to be leaning on," Banghart said. "So it's just a great experience."
A crowd of over 3,500 people packed the Corbett Sports Center, cheering on the Aggies at the behest of the PA system and in-arena DJ. There may be larger crowds the Heels play in front of on the road, but the liveliness of A&T made it a worthwhile step in this team's journey.

Carolina's 10 made threes each against UNCW and North Carolina A&T give the Tar Heels 20 in the last two games, the most in a two-game stretch since 20 against Wofford and USC Upstate Dec. 11 & 16, 2022.

Carolina drilled 10 threes each against UNCW and North Carolina A&T, and did so in a balanced manner with six different players contributing a long-range shot. In the game against the Seahawks, Lexi Donarski was the focal point, draining five threes in a home victory. She's now registered five games with five or more made threes – all coming at Carmichael Arena – since coming over from Iowa State.
On Tuesday at North Carolina A&T, Donarski connected on two more three-point shots, but it was Laila Hull who would carry the day. Hull, a redshirt freshman playing her first-ever road game, contributed four of the 10 threes. A particularly memorable moment for the Indiana native came when she executed a steal on the defensive end of the court, fired off a pass, received the ball back, and rained home the transition triple to push Carolina's lead to 20 in the fourth quarter, 57-37. A similar momentum-quelling three ball came from Hull's fellow redshirt freshman Ciera Toomey, who hit her first career three to raise the Tar Heel lead to 11 in the third quarter, squashing A&T's comeback hopes.
Like anything this time of year, you'd love for the efficiency to be a bit better – the 20 makes have come on 61 attempts – but it's nice to see for a Carolina team to have this persistent outside threat.

By forcing 21 turnovers, Carolina has forced 20+ in three straight games to open the season. The last time Carolina forced 20+ in a three-game stretch was Feb. 23, 2023-Mar. 2, 2023. The last time the Tar Heels did so to open the season was in 2022 against Jackson State, TCU, and South Carolina State.

The Tar Heels found themselves in front after 10 minutes on Tuesday night, leading A&T 13-10 at the first quarter's conclusion. Carolina had survived an initial push from the host Aggies to maintain the lead, but needed to create and capitalize on mistakes to create some breathing room.
And in the second quarter, that they did.
The Tar Heels forced seven turnovers in the quarter alone, and built the lead to 14 by halftime. Guard Reniya Kelly was excellent on the defensive end of the floor with a career-high five steals in the win over the Aggies.

Up Next
There's just one game for Carolina before we check in again next Wednesday, and it's a big one. For the second straight season, the Tar Heels will face No. 2 UConn in a neutral court game near one team's campus, with this year's game taking place at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro (the building formerly known as the Greensboro Coliseum). The game is set for Friday at 6:00 p.m., with our THSN coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. Catch the call worldwide for free on the Varsity Network app from Learfield, GoHeels.com, or the GoHeels app.
Last season, UConn earned a 76-64 win at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., despite the game being tied at 36-36 at halftime. A win Friday night would give Carolina their first triumph against the Huskies since 2007, and also serve as the highest-ranked win in the Courtney Banghart era in Chapel Hill. Plus, it would be win 100 for Banghart as the Tar Heels' bench boss.
That's all for now. Go Heels!
-Matt