University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Duke University
WBB Squares Off Against Duke In Sweet 16 Rivalry Clash
March 27, 2025 | Women's Basketball
No. 3 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
29-7, 13-5 ACC
Head Coach: Courtney Banghart (Dartmouth, 2000)
Record at North Carolina:Â 125-63 (6th season)
Career Record:Â 379-166 (18th season)
No. 2 DUKE BLUE DEVILS
28-7, 14-4 ACC
Head Coach:Â Kara Lawson (Tennesee, 2003)
Record at Duke: 96-40 (5th season)
Career Record:Â Same
TIPPING OFF
• One of the greatest rivalries in all of sports continues as North Carolina faces off against Duke on one of the biggest stages, meeting Friday in the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
• Earning its way to its 19th Sweet 16 in program history off of an impressive defensive performance in Chapel Hill this past weekend, Carolina held both of its NCAA Tournament opponents in Oregon State and West Virginia under 50 points.
• With the defense shining, Alyssa Ustby has been leading the charge for the Tar Heels with an average of 15.5 points per game in the tournament including a personal best 21 against West Virginia.
CAROLINA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Dating back to 1983, North Carolina is 54-30 in the NCAA Tournament. Making its 32nd appearance in program history, UNC is one of seven schools in the nation to make the big dance 32 times or more.
Hosting for the 13th time in school history, NCAA Basketball returned to Carmichael Arena for the first time since 2015. Carolina is now 24-1 in games played in Chapel Hill.Â
The win over West Virginia, sent Carolina to the Sweet 16 for the 19th time and the first since 2022.
Earning its highest seed since 2013 at No. 3 in the Birmingham 2 region, the Tar Heels are a top-four seed for the first time since 2015.
Seeded on the four-line or higher for the 20th time in school history, Carolina is a three seed for the sixth total time.
As a No. 3 seed, Carolina is 13-4 all-time. The Tar Heels have advanced to now three Sweet 16's in the slot and earned their lone national title in 1994 on the three line.
A win on Thursday over Duke would send Carolina to its first Elite 8 since 2014 and its eighth overall.Â
SERIES HISTORY VS. DUKE
In the series dating back to 1975, Carolina owns a narrow advantage in the matchup 56-54.
The contentious series has reached overtime seven times throughout the years including the previous meeting in January. Carolina owns two wins in overtime against the Blue Devils.
Friday's meeting is the first between the two in the NCAA Tournament and the 16th on a neutral court.
LAST TIME OUT
Putting on her show in her last game in Carmichael Arena, Alyssa Ustby tallied a personal NCAA Tournament best with 21 points to lead UNC over West Virginia in the Second Round, 58-47.
Limiting West Virginia to a mere 9.5% from beyond the arc, Carolina pounded the ball in the paint to lift itself over the Mountaineers.
Trading buckets back and forth throughout the first half, Ustby and Reniya Kelly tallied 24 points combined in the second to boost the Tar Heels.
Limiting West Virginia to a season-low 47 points, Carolina sent the Mountaineers packing to book its ticket to Birmingham for a trip to the Sweet 16.
DEFENSE LIVES HERE
Hosting a defensive clinic in the First and Second round games in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels held back-to-back foes under 50 points for the second time in program NCAA Tournament history and for the first since 1995.
The Tar Heels are one of two programs in the NCAA Tournament to hold both of their opponents under 50 points.
Carolina has held three teams in the NCAA Tournament under 50 points in the Courtney Banghart era.
THE ONE, THE ONLY, ALYSSA USTBY
Despite missing Senior Day due to injury, Alyssa Ustby made sure to leave Carmichael Arena with a bang with the fifth year posting her NCAA Tournament best with 21 points.
Scoring 16 of her total points in the second half, Ustby propelled Carolina to its second Sweet 16 in four seasons.
All over the court, Ustby tied her season-high with four steals and three blocks against the Mountaineers.
THIS IS MARCH
Defeating Oregon State by a margin of 21 points, the Tar Heels set the mark for the highest NCAA Tournament win in the Courtney Banghart era.
The 30 points from the Tar Heels in the third quarter against the Beavers also set the best in a tournament game under Banghart.
LET IT RAIN
Knocking down a total of 266 made threes this season as a team, Carolina has already hit the best mark in the Banghart era.
Carolina only needs four more triples to top the best mark in the 21st century of 268, set by the 2018-19 Tar Heels. Since 2000, Carolina has only posted three seasons including this year with 250 or more made threes.
With Lexi Donarski as the hot hand of the Tar Heels, the graduate student leads the team with a total of 85 made shots from beyond the arc. She is two made triples away from moving into the top-five in a single season at UNC.
THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE
Snagging nine rebounds against Oregon State, Alyssa Ustby officially claimed the crown as Carolina women's basketball all-time leading rebounder with a total of 1259.
By achieving the mark, Ustby also moved into No. 4 all-time among ACC players. Ustby is four rebounds away from moving into the top-three in conference history.
ALL-ACC TAR HEELS
Four Tar Heels came away with ACC accolades this season, with Alyssa Ustby, Maria Gakeng, Reniya Kelly and Lanie Grant garnering honors.
For the fourth straight season, Alyssa Ustby picked up a spot on either the All-ACC First or Second Team, being named ot the All-ACC First Team for the second time in her career.
Along with a First Team nod, Ustby also was named to the All-Defensive Team after leading the ACC in conference action with 7.64 defensive rebounds per game.
Earning conference accolades for the second time in her career, Maria Gakdeng found herself on the All-ACC Second Team. A force, Gakdeng averaged 12.8 points per game in conference play while shooting 59.9% from the field.
Lighting it up in her second season in Chapel Hill, Reniya Kelly also earned All-ACC Second Team honors. The sophomore made a huge jump, averaging 10.1 points per game while facilitating the UNC offense. An aggressive presence on the defensive end, Kelly snagged an average of 1.2 steals per game in ACC play.
One of the youngest players in Division I basketball at 17, Lanie Grant has shown that she's one to watch with earning a spot on the All-Freshman team. Averaging 8.3 points per game in conference play, Grant tallied 10 games this season in double-figure scoring.
STACKING WINS
Earning its 25th win of the year at Louisville, the Tar Heels tied the most overall wins in the regular season in the Courtney Banghart era.
Carolina now boasts eight 25-win regular seasons.
The victory over Louisville gave Carolina its most wins in a regular season since the 2012-13 Tar Heels notched 26.Â
The win over Florida State in the Quarterfinal of the ACC Tournament moved UNC to 27 on the season, to tie the most since 2013-14.
A victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament gave Carolina 29 wins to tie the most in a year since 2012-13.
A win against Duke would give Carolina its seventh 30-win season and first since 2007-08.
COMEBACK KIDS
Facing a 12-point deficit in the second quarter and trailing by six at the half, Carolina clawed its way back to come from behind for its 13th ACC win this season at Louisville.
Coming back by 12 is the largest deficit any Tar Heel team has overcome since a 13 point comeback win against Vermont in November of 2023.
Down through three quarters, the Tar Heels earned their lone win this season when trailing after 30 minutes and their first to comeback and win after the third since at Notre Dame in January of 2024.
CONSULT YOUR CARDIOLOGIST
The Tar Heels continue to give their fans near heart attacks with multiple tight games this season.
Carolina is 4-1 in games decided by 5-9 points and 5-2 when decided by 1-4 points.
THE NEXT
Scoring a career-high 19 points in the win at Louisville, freshman Lanie Grant continues to rise with her then ninth game of the season in double-figure scoring.
Grant's 19 points were the most by a Tar Heel freshman since Reniya Kelly scored 20 against Virginia last season.
HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME
Lighting it up at the right time, Carolina shot a half season high of 68% in the second half at Louisville to assist in its comeback win over the Cardinals.
In the fourth quarter, Carolina shot 80% from the field off of 8-of-10 shooting for its season quarter high.
THAT'S OUR PG1
Recording back-to-back 20-point performances for the first time by a Tar Heel this season, Reniya Kelly is hitting her stride in her second season in Chapel Hill.
Tying her then career-high with 20 points against Virginia Tech and following that up with 23 points against NC State, Kelly was then named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week.
Kelly picked up conference accolades for the first time in her career, becoming the fourth player under Banghart to earn the distinction and the first since 2022.
ROAD WARRIORS
Moving to 9-0 in true road games with the victory at Louisville, the Tar Heels got off to their best start on the road since the 2005-06 season. Carolina has now won its first nine true road games for the second time in program history.
Sitting at 8-0 on the road in ACC marked Carolina's best start within the conference in program history.
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Under Banghart, the Tar Heels are 22-29 overall against AP Top-25 teams.
This season the Tar Heels are 6-5 against ranked foes with wins against Kentucky, Duke, California, NC State and Florida State.
LYSS KEEPS ON CLIMBING
Each game, Alyssa Ustby keeps inching closer and closer to numerous marks in the Carolina history books.
She currently ranks No. 13 in career points at Carolina with a total of 1,782. She is six points away from moving into No. 12.
In double-figures off the glass against Virginia Tech, Ustby crossed the 1,200 career rebound mark and passed Charlotte Smith (1992-95) to move into No. 2 at UNC with 1,210 rebounds.
With nine against Oregon State, she became all-time rebounding queen at Carolina, and passed Bernadette McGlade (1977-80) who accumulated 1,251 boards as a Tar Heel.
10-WIN ACC SEASONS
By defeating Virginia Tech, Carolina reached the 10-win mark in ACC action for the fourth straight season. The Tar Heels have now registered 25 seasons with double-digit conference wins.
The win over Virginia Tech gave Carolina its longest streak in 10+ ACC win seasons since 2002-09 when Carolina met the mark for seven consecutive seasons.
BAY AREA BEASTS
Doing what no other ACC men's or women's basketball team had yet done with two wins in the Bay Area, the Tar Heels became the first team in the conference to win both games out West.
In the new iteration of the conference, teams have struggled in crossing time zones yet Carolina prevailed despite the circumstances.
NO I IN TEAM
Coming away with back-to-back wins in the Bay Area, the Tar Heels found themselves garnering acclaim from across the country.
The Tar Heels were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Team of the Week.
Carolina also became the first ACC team to reach 20-wins and became the fastest Tar Heel team to reach the mark since the 2012-13 season.
ON POINT AND ON TARGET
Shooting at a 59.0% clip from the field this season, Maria Gakdeng is one of the most dominant presences throughout the ACC on the court and is extremely efficient in the paint.
She is on track this season to finish in the top-five in a season at Carolina in field goal percentage, by averaging 4.5 made shots per game.
Throughout her career, Gakdeng is shooting 59.3% from the field and has the chance to end her career in the top-five in ACC history.
A HELPING HAND
Dropping 20 assists total as a team against Florida State in January, the Tar Heels notched their most against an ACC opponent to date this season.Â
Led by Grace Townsend with six helpers, Carolina earned its third 20+ assist game of the season and the sixth in ACC action under Courtney Banghart.
THE BEST KIND OF HEIST
It's no secret that Carolina's defense can limit its opponents, yet the Tar Heels took what's theirs in the three game stretch against SMU, Pitt and Wake Forest with 10+ steals in each.
This defense is doing what few other Carolina teams have done, earning 10+Â steals in three straight ACC games for the first time since the 2015 Tar Heels did so in six consecutive games.
Indya Nivar has been leading this charge, averaging 2.0 swipes per outing.
CAN'T TOUCH THIS
Shutting down Wake Forest off the glass, Carolina limited the Demon Deacons to only 20 rebounds in the outing.
It marks the fewest rebounds allowed in a single-game since only giving up 18 boards in 2021 against UNC Asheville and the fewest against an ACC opponent in the Banghart era.
ALL THINGS CLICKING
With the win over Wake Forest, Carolina cemented its best start in the Courtney Banghart era with 18 wins through 21 games.
It also marked the best start since the Tar Heels began the 2012-13 season at 19-2.
The Tar Heels have also earned 13 wins by 20+ points this season to match the most in the Banghart era.
WHEN YOU'RE HOT, YOU'RE HOT
Heating up from beyond the arc, Carolina felt the energy throughout the team from beyond the arc with six Tar Heels combining for an ACC game-high 13 three's against Pitt.
The 13 made triples for the Tar Heels tied the most in an ACC game since draining 14 in 2019 against Georgia Tech.
Lexi Donarski felt it all week, draining a team-high five triples for the first time in her career making five or more three's in back-to-back games.
Donarski followed this up with five threes against Wake Forest to extend her streak to three consecutive game with five made triples.
This season, Carolina has drained 10 or more triples in eight games this year for the most in a single-season in the Banghart era.
JUMPED OUT THE GYM
As a team against SMU, Carolina grabbed a total of 52 rebounds for the second most in a single-game this season and the most since an ACC squad since facing off against Duke in 2022.
The feat was the seventh time a Banghart team had collected 50 or more rebounds against an ACC team.
Alyssa Ustby led the charge, tying her career-high with a total of 18 boards. Her performance was the most rebounds in a single-game by any ACC player this season.
Crushing Clemson off the glass, the Tar Heels snagged 42 rebounds to the Tigers 25 for a margin of +17 for the best against an ACC team this season.
MAKE IT COUNT
Any win in the ACC is crucial to a team's NCAA Tournament chances and Carolina made a statement in its victory over SMU.
The 31-point victory over the Mustangs was UNC's third ACC win by 30 plus points in the Courtney Banghart era.
This season when facing off against unranked opponents, Carolina is 23-2.
LOCK 'EM UP
Carolina limited SMU to very few good looks from the field, shutting down the Mustangs to a field goal percentage of 19.4%.Â
The defensive mark is the best against an ACC foe in the Courtney Banghart era.
WE'VE GOT A NEW TAR HEEL!
Enrolling early at UNC to join the Tar Heels for the spring semester, Taissa Queiroz will join the fold and practice with the team for the remainder of the season.
A four-star prospect by ESPN, a native of Belo Horizonte, Brazil prepped in the Bay Area before signing with the Tar Heels.
The 6-1 guard was named the San Francisco Chronicle Co-North Bay Player of the Year and was ranked a Top-Five Player on the West Coast by Preps-Bay Area.
KEYS TO A DUB
When it comes to the Tar Heels earning a win, 21 of their 29 wins have had multiple correlations.
Carolina's defense must get it done, holding all victories but three under 60 points or less and provide a little breathing room with all wins but five by 10 points or more.
DEFENSE IN OUR DNA
Carolina's defense has been one of the strongest in the country this season, ranking in the top-25 in multiple statistical categories.
The Tar Heels currently rank second in the ACC and sit 15th nationally in holding its opponents to a 36.3% clip from the field.Â
In holding 10 of of its opponents this season under 50 points, UNC ranks 37th in Division I basketball in scoring defense and once again leads the ACC by keeping its opponents to an average of 57.6 points per game.
BOUNCE BACK
Under Banghart, the Tar Heels are now 34-24 in their next game when coming off of a loss.
SHINING BRIGHT UNDER THE LIGHTS
The Tar Heels proved that they can handle the spotlight in its win over No. 14 Kentucky and sure made a statement of it.
The 19-point win over the Wildcats was the largest win against any AP Top-25 opponent since 2020 and its largest win over a top-15 ranked opponent since 2011.
In Carmichael Arena, the Tar Heels are 13-7 against ranked opponents under Banghart.
RUNNING DEEP
The 2024-25 Tar Heel roster is full of talent, as Banghart can go deep in the roster in any game situation.
This season, UNC's bench has outscored 28 out of of its 36 opponents and averages 20.9 points per game from its reserves.
Seven Tar Heels currently average 5.0 points per game or higher.
BROUGHT THE FIREWORKS
The Tar Heels put on a memorable offensive performance against N.C. Central, recording a Banghart era high 119 points for the third most in program history.
Six Tar Heels scored in double-figures, with Alyssa Ustby leading the way with a season-high 24 points.
Carolina dished out a Banghart era best 28 assists, the most in a single-game in the past 20 seasons.
119 points tied Florida State in the most scored by an ACC team in a single-game this season.
DOUBLE-TROUBLE
As two of Carolina's fifth-year players, the duo of Lexi Donarski and Alyssa Ustby feed off one another's successes on the court.
When the pair both score in double-figures, the Tar Heels are 20-5 overall.
LET IT FLY LEX!
As one of the nation's best active three-point shooters, as she averages 2.36 triples per game to rank 5th among players in the ACC.
Overall, Donarski sits at No. 5Â among active career leaders with 355 threes made.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
A mixture of youth and experience can be found throughout the Tar Heel roster, yet some of the vets on the team have proven their skills on a national level.
The duo of Donarski and Ustby make them one of the most experienced pairs in the country, ranking in the top-10 in multiple categories among active players in Division I Basketball.
As a sharpshooter, Donarski currently sits at No. 5 in made three's with a total of 355. With 164 career appearances, she also ranks No. 7 in active games played.
A walking double-double, Ustby's 1259 career rebounds have her fourth nationally. Her 48 double-doubles have her sixth nationally among active players.
MILESTONE TRACKER
LEXI DONARSKI
• 3 assists from 300 career.
• 3 made threes from top-five in a single-season at UNC.
MARIA GAKDENG
• 4 steals from the most in aÂ
single-season in her career.
GRACE TOWNSEND
• 4 assists from 650 career.
• 1 point from 1400 career.
ALYSSA USTBY
• 3 assists from cracking the top-10 inÂ
program history.
• 7 steals away from the top-10 inÂ
program history.
