Carmichael Comments: Conference Play In Full Swing

Carmichael Comments: Conference Play In Full Swing
Vol. 7, No. 7
By: Matt Krause (@MattKrausePxP)

The holiday season is in the rearview, and we're back here with a new edition of Carmichael Comments. Carolina's action has been limited in recent weeks – the Tar Heels scattered across the country to their respective homes and families following the non-conference finale on Dec. 21 against Norfolk State, then reconvened for a Dec. 29 road contest at Miami. Even after the Miami showdown, the Tar Heels had an open date during the midweek, waiting seven days to play again on Sunday against Notre Dame. Translation: just three games in an 18-day span from Dec. 19 through Sunday. Still, there have been plenty of highlights for the Tar Heels of late. Here are a few nuggets that stood out:

Maria Gakdeng is averaging 19.3 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game in ACC play.

Carolina's senior center scored 14 total points in her first three games played this season, a trio of contests in November that saw her play just 45 total minutes. She then sat out the entirety of the Battle 4 Atlantis with what was called a lower body injury (Carolina was just fine, winning the event). Since her return, though, Gakdeng has been on another level. She has scored at least eight points in every game, clearing 10 points in all but one of the nine games. The performance has taken yet another jump in ACC play, where Gakdeng opened the league slate with consecutive 21-point games (albeit two weeks apart) against Georgia Tech and Miami, and then chipped in 16 against Notre Dame. It's Gakdeng's emergence that has sparked Carolina offensively this season, her head coach says.
"Maria is such a dominant force in the interior," Carolina Head Coach Courtney Banghart said. "The game is played from the inside out, so Maria's presence as a dominant low post has opened up everything for everyone."
Gakdeng's 72.7% field goal percentage does not rank among ACC leaders, as her missed games prevent her from qualifying for the league leaderboard. Among qualifiers, though, the ACC lead in field goal percentage is 61.9%, for Miami's Cameron Williams.

After hitting just one three-pointer in a five-game span from Nov. 29-Dec. 15, Lanie Grant has made 10 in her last four games.

The growth trajectory of Lanie Grant in her freshman season has been a key storyline for the Tar Heels as the season develops. Grant had a breakout performance with a 15-point game against Ball State in the Bahamas, but it took until the final week of non-conference play to for Grant to score in double figures in back-to-back games. Against Florida and Norfolk State, Grant was a combined 10-for-18 from the floor and 7-for-13 from three, scoring 13 points against the Gators and 15 against the Spartans. For her efforts, Grant was named the USBWA National Freshman of the Week.
"She's had a great run," Banghart said. "It's amazing, her athletic maturity – her ability to look forward and not backwards, every single day. She wants to earn our trust, she wants to get better. She could be the high school national player of the week, but instead, she chose to be the freshman college player of the week."
Grant's two games since have seen her score eight points at Miami and six against Notre Dame.

Maria Gakdeng and Alyssa Ustby became the first pair of Tar Heels to post a double-double in an ACC game since Feb. 1 when they achieved the feat against Miami.

The veteran frontcourt duo each had double-doubles on Nov. 29 against North Carolina Central in Carolina's history-making blowout win, but, with all due respect to the Eagles, achieving the feat against Miami in a road win moves the needle a bit more. Ustby and Gakdeng combined for 40 of the 69 points and 25 of Carolina's 39 rebounds in helping the Tar Heels to their first road win over the Hurricanes since 2015. Perhaps they were inspired by the presence of three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson?
"Alyssa and Maria were problems for them," Banghart reflected. "And they just kept going. Alyssa really willed us in a lot of ways, and so did Maria."

Carolina's four turnovers in the road win against Miami were the fewest in a game in the Banghart era.

Even with limited impact scoring-wise against the Hurricanes, Carolina's guards had an impeccable game in helping the Tar Heels to their first ACC win. The Tar Heels turned the ball over a mere four times, the lowest figure in the Banghart era by two (the previous low in a game was six). It's believed to be the lowest number of turnovers in a game in the 21st century and perhaps program history. Every game is unique, and there are factors to each (speed of the game against Florida, Reniya Kelly's absence against Norfolk State, etc.), but the Tar Heels had committed 14 and 16 turnovers, respectively in their previous two games against the Gators and Spartans. Miami narrowly outshot and outrebounded Carolina, and hit more threes than the Tar Heels in the game, but a +11 turnover margin and just four turnovers committed paved the way to victory.
"You've got to win in a lot of different ways," Banghart said. "Our guards took care of the basketball, and that contributes to winning."

Carolina checks in No. 15 in the NET Rankings in Monday's update.

Sunday's game against Notre Dame was the midway game of the regular season – game No. 16 of 31, with 15 previous games and 15 games to come after. That means it's time for folks outside the locker room – like us media members – to start examining NET rankings, the NCAA's evaluation tool that goes a long way toward determining NCAA Tournament seeding. Carolina, even with the loss to Notre Dame, jumped up to No. 15 in the rankings. All three of Carolina's losses are to teams ranked higher than the Tar Heels in the NET. The Tar Heels have eight remaining opportunities – as of today – against quadrant 1 NET teams. Without getting into too much detail, all you need to know is that quad 1 wins are good. The more that a team accumulates, the better positioned they are for postseason play.

Up Next
Carolina will stay home for two games this week, welcoming in No. 14 Duke for a rivalry game Thursday and Boston College for another ACC clash on Sunday.
The first of two meetings in the regular season with Duke, the only opponent that Carolina will play twice in the regular year, takes place Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Not only is the game a chance for Carolina to earn its second ranked win and NET quadrant 1 win, but it's a chance for a fourth straight home win over Duke. Our THSN coverage begins 30 minutes prior to tip with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show at 6:30 p.m. Catch the call worldwide for free on the Varsity Network app from Learfield, GoHeels.com, or the GoHeels app, as well as on WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM.

Then on Sunday, Boston College will visit for the first time since 2023. The always-pesky Eagles feature a veteran core that will provide a challenge to close out the three-game homestand. Tip on Sunday is set for 2:00 p.m., and our THSN coverage begins 30 minutes prior to tip with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show at 1:30 p.m. Catch the call worldwide for free on the Varsity Network app from Learfield, GoHeels.com, or the GoHeels app, as well as on WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM.

If you missed it, this week's edition of Holding Court is available now on the Tar Heel Voices Podcast Channel, and will air on WCHL at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8. We'll tape again next Monday, Jan. 13, at the Sheraton Chapel Hill at Noon.

That's all for now. Go Heels!

-Matt