Carmichael Comments: Non-Conference Schedule Breakdown

Carmichael Comments: Non-Conference Schedule Breakdown
By: Matt Krause (@MattKrausePxP)

Fresh off the program's second NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in four seasons, the Carolina Women's Basketball team's 2025-26 non-conference schedule is here. The 13-game non-conference portion of the season sets the tone for the lengthy journey to March Madness, preparing the Tar Heels for the rigors of ACC play come the turn of the calendar and postseason challenges to come after. As has been the case in the last handful of seasons, Carolina will play some of the nation's best outside of ACC play, with a pair of 2025 Final Four teams (UCLA and Texas) on the docket – and that doesn't even count the previously-announced Oct. 30 exhibition game against South Carolina. A third 2025 Sweet 16 participant, Kansas State, appears for the second time in three seasons on Carolina's schedule.

Among mid-major opponents, the Tar Heels will tangle with five teams that claimed a conference regular season or tournament title a year ago, presenting numerous resume-boosting opportunities along the way.

Playing in a variety of settings won't be in question, as Carolina will not only play in front of the home fans in Carmichael Arena six times, but will visit true road environments at Texas and North Carolina A&T. A quintet of neutral site games in Las Vegas and Cancun continue the trend of playing in environments that excite fans and players alike. In total, six of the 13 opponents were top 60 NET teams last season, and Carolina will play all six of them away from home.

Read on for a breakdown of each of the 13 foes on the Tar Heels' schedule in the non-conference portion of the season:

Nov. 3: North Carolina Central (Chapel Hill)
2024-25: 9-21, 6-8 MEAC (Lost in MEAC Quarterfinals vs. Coppin State, 57-48) – NET 340
Series Record: UNC leads, 8-0
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 119-43, in Chapel Hill on Nov. 29, 2024
Coach Banghart Record: UNC leads, 2-0

The regular season begins with the annual Field Trip Day game, allowing local schools to check out the excitement of a Division I game during the school day – a fun tradition that has become a highlight of the early season in Chapel Hill. North Carolina Central provides the opposition, one of four teams that will visit Carmichael Arena for a second straight season. Carolina's win last season on the day after Thanksgiving (119-43) re-set the Tar Heel record books, and marked the largest point total in the Courtney Banghart era. From there, though, the Eagles found more consistent success in league play in the MEAC. Terrence Baxter enters his third season as the head coach in Durham, with the program owning 23 league wins in the last three campaigns. That's the largest conference win total in a three-season span since the Eagles joined Division I in 2007-08. Leading scorer Kyla Bryant (13.1 PPG, Second Team All-MEAC) transferred to Georgia Southern, but fellow Second Team All-MEAC F Morgan Callahan (12.5 PPG/8.3 RPG) has one more year of eligibility. G Shakira Foster (10.2 PPG, MEAC All-Freshman Team) started 25 games in her rookie campaign and projects to be a key piece in 2025-26 for the Eagles.

Nov. 6: Elon (Chapel Hill)
2024-25: 15-15, 9-9 CAA (Lost in CAA Second Round vs. Towson, 53-47) – NET 267
Series Record: UNC leads, 12-1
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 68-39, in Chapel Hill on Nov. 18, 2023
Coach Banghart Record: UNC leads, 2-0

A common regional non-conference opponent, Elon will visit Carmichael Arena for the third time in the Banghart era and second time in the last three seasons. Charlotte Smith, one of the most decorated players in Carolina history and the hero of the 1994 National Championship, has enjoyed a long and successful coaching career at Elon. She enters her 15th season at the helm of the Phoenix, having led the program to their only two NCAA Tournament appearances in program history in 2017 and 2018. Smith, who alongside Ivory Latta is one of two Tar Heels to have a jersey retired in the Carmichael Arena rafters, always receives a warm welcome when her Elon teams compete against Carolina. As far as 2025-26 is concerned, Elon loses leading scorer Raven Preston as a graduate transfer to Wake Forest, but returns G Jayda Angel, who scored 9.9 PPG to earn a spot on the All-CAA Rookie Team. A pair of transfers who have averaged double figures in scoring join the program as well: F LaNae' Corbett (10.7 PPG) was named to the All-CAA Rookie Team at Hofstra last season, and G Tyana Walker averaged 11.3 PPG at Howard in a 2023-24 MEAC Rookie of the Year campaign.

Nov. 13: UCLA (Las Vegas, Nev.)
2024-25: 34-3, 16-2 Big Ten (Won Big Ten Championship vs. USC, 72-67; Lost in NCAA Final Four vs. UConn, 85-51) – NET 5
Series Record: UNC leads, 6-4
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 83-49, in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands on Nov. 22, 2018
Coach Banghart Record: UCLA leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: UCLA wins, 65-52, in Los Angeles on Nov. 25, 2012

The first marquee, fellow Power Four opponent on Carolina's schedule is UCLA, who the Tar Heels will face in the inaugural WBCA Challenge in Las Vegas. Both Banghart and UCLA Head Coach Cori Close have experience as the President of the WBCA Board of Directors, a key factor in the inclusion of these two national brands in the inaugural playing of the event in Las Vegas. Close enters her 15th season as UCLA's leader, and a season ago led the Bruins to a historic campaign culminating in their first NCAA Final Four in school history. Close's Bruins had reached six Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight in her time, but finally got over the hump with a seven-point win over LSU to punch a ticket to Tampa Bay. Along the way, both of UCLA's losses came against rival USC, a pair of defeats they negated with a Big Ten Tournament championship in Indianapolis. Looking ahead, the Bruins are expected to contend in the Big Ten and nationally once again, coming in at No. 3 in the ESPN "Way Too Early Top 25" published earlier in the offseason. C Lauren Betts returns for her senior season fresh of a first team AP All-American nod, having led the team at 20.2 PPG a season ago and recording 19 double-doubles. The 6'7 defensive force was named the Naismith Women's National Defensive Player of the Year. Also back is first team All-Big Ten G Kiki Rice, whose 12.8 PPG were bolstered by a nearly 37% clip from behind the arc. G Charlisse Leger-Walker, a four-time All-Pac-12 pick at Washington State, will be healthy this season after suffering an injury late in her Washington State career, ironically enough in a game at UCLA. Also incoming to the Bruins is W Gianna Kneepkens, Utah's leading scorer at 19.3 PPG last season. UCLA did lose six players to the portal, including current Tar Heel guard Elina Aarnisalo. This game will provide an opportunity for the Tar Heels to make a statement on the national level extremely early in the season, a wave of momentum that can drive conversation for the months to follow.

Nov. 15: Fairfield (Las Vegas, Nev.)
2024-25: 28-5, 19-1 MAAC (Won MAAC Championship vs. Quinnipiac, 76-53; Lost in NCAA First Round vs. Kansas State, 85-41) – NET 57
Series Record: First Meeting
Coach Banghart Record: First Meeting

If you asked a die-hard women's basketball fan to name the five best mid-majors in the country over the last few seasons, the list would almost assuredly include the trio of Fairfield, South Dakota State, and Columbia. All three appear on the Tar Heels' schedule this season, and Fairfield is up first. The Stags have gone 59-7 over the last two seasons, including a 2023-24 campaign where their lone losses occurred against SEC member Vanderbilt and Big Ten member Indiana in the NCAA Tournament First Round. Last season Fairfield lost a single MAAC game – the regular season finale at Quinnipiac – and avenged the loss a week later in the MAAC Championship Game before bowing out of the NCAA Tournament against Kansas State (more on them below). Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis, the daughter of longtime WNBA coach Mike Thibault, enters her fourth season at Fairfield and is a near certainty to be a hot name in coaching searches in future offseasons. Her Stags return their top two scorers from a season ago in two-time All-MAAC First Team pick Meghan Andersen (14.8 PPG) in the post and G Katey L'Amoreaux (12.4 PPG, along with 4.3 APG). G Alli Campbell, a one-time Notre Dame recruit who then went to Penn State, transfers in to provide depth at the point guard position. Fairfield, though, hangs its hat on its defense, which allowed just 55 points per game last season to rank 11th nationally.

Nov. 20: at North Carolina A&T (Greensboro, N.C.)
2024-25: 19-12, 15-3 CAA (Lost in CAA Quarterfinals vs. William & Mary, 74-66; Lost in WBIT First Round at Virginia Tech, 61-45) – NET 152
Series Record: UNC leads, 4-0
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 66-47, in Greensboro on Nov. 12, 2024
Coach Banghart Record: UNC leads, 2-0

For a second consecutive season, Carolina will venture west on Interstate 40 to make the 50-mile trip to the Corbett Sports Center to face North Carolina A&T. It's the first time the Tar Heels will visit the same non-conference opponent in a true road environment in consecutive seasons since venturing to Appalachian State in 1982 and 1983. Last year, Laila Hull had a career night by connecting on four three-pointers as part of a 14-point game in Carolina's 66-47 win. The Aggies took off from there, taking home the CAA's regular season championship – the fifth regular season crown in 13 seasons under Head Coach Tarrell Robinson, who was named CAA Coach of the Year. The good vibes hit a speed bump in the postseason, though, as A&T was shocked by eventual CAA champion William & Mary in the conference quarterfinals in overtime, then was competitive to start but ultimately bowed out of the WBIT at Virginia Tech. All-CAA First Team G Jordyn Dorsey, who led the team in scoring at 15.5 PPG, has exhausted her eligibility, but the next two leading scorers are projected to return in C Chaniya Clark (Third Team All-CAA; 10.2 PPG/7.9 RPG) and F Paris Locke, who averaged 10.1 PPG and also pulled in nearly six rebounds per game. The environment inside of Corbett Sports Center is always lively, especially with the Tar Heels in town, and will make this an enjoyable early-season test.

Nov. 23: UNCG (Chapel Hill)
2024-25: 25-7, 13-1 SoCon (Won SoCon Championship vs. Chattanooga, 64-57; Lost in NCAA First Round at USC, 71-25) – NET 143
Series Record: UNC leads, 14-0
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 80-56, in Chapel Hill on Dec. 11, 2024
Coach Banghart Record: UNC leads, 3-0

Continuing the déjà vu theme of some early-season matchups, UNCG will visit Carmichael Arena for the third consecutive season. It's the first time that's happened since North Carolina Central visited in six straight seasons from 2007-08 through 2012-13. And there's a good reason why UNCG keeps appearing on the schedule: they're a quality mid-major that's a constant contender in their home league of the Southern Conference. Trina Patterson embarks on her 10th season as the head coach at UNCG, and was named the 2025 SoCon Coach of the Year just before guiding UNCG to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998. The Spartans lost just three games against mid-major competition all of last season, a 21-3 mark against such teams. The Spartans do project to lose their top two scorers – G Jayde Gamble has exhausted her eligibility, and SoCon Freshman of the Year G Nya Smith transferred to Purdue – but are projected to return G Jaila Lee, who averaged 9.3 PPG as the team's third leading scorer last year. But like so many elite mid-majors, the secret sauce is in the defense. UNCG allowed only 52.4 PPG last season, third in the entire country behind only UConn and Middle Tennessee.

Nov. 27-29: Cancun Challenge (Cancun, Mexico) – Exact order of opponents to be determined

Columbia
2024-25: 24-7, 13-1 Ivy (Lost in Ivy Championship vs. Harvard, 74-71; Lost in NCAA First Round vs. West Virginia, 78-59) – NET 42
Series Record: First Meeting
Coach Banghart Record: Coach Banghart leads, 22-2
Last Meeting: Princeton wins, 65-59, in Princeton, N.J. on Feb. 23, 2019

After two potential meetings between the Tar Heels and Lions in 2024-25 – one each in the Battle4Atlantis and NCAA Tournament Second Round – did not come to fruition, mentor will finally meet mentee. Columbia Head Coach Megan Griffith spent four seasons as a Princeton assistant under Courtney Banghart, with the duo leading the Tigers to three NCAA Tournaments, an NCAA Tournament victory, and the Ivy League's first at-large berth in 2016. Following that historic 2016 season, Griffith returned to her alma mater in New York City, and has taken Columbia to heights occupied by Banghart's Princeton teams in Ivy League lore. The Lions have reeled off four straight seasons with 23 or more wins, and are 50-6 in Ivy regular season play since 2021-22, reached the WNIT Championship Game in 2023, and broke through in 2024 to reach the big bracket. Not only have the Lions now made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, but both have come as an at-large – the first two Ivy at-larges since Banghart and Griffith's 2016 team at Princeton. One of the next hurdles for the Lions to clear is an Ivy League Tournament title, a goal they fell one game short of while playing as the top seed and regular season champion last season. They'll be well-positioned to hunt for that in 2026, returning top scorer and First Team All-Ivy pick G Riley Weiss, whose 17.8 PPG included a 37.6% effort from three-point range. Leading rebounder G/F Perri Page (6.3 RPG) also returns for the Lions.

Kansas State
2024-25: 28-8, 13-5 Big XII (Lost in Big XII Quarterfinals vs. West Virginia, 73-69; Lost in NCAA Sweet 16 vs. USC, 67-61) – NET 9
Series Record: Kansas State leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Kansas State wins, 63-56, in Estero, Fla. on Nov. 25, 2023
Coach Banghart Record: Kansas State leads, 4-0

Despite being separated by half of the country, Carolina and Kansas State are very similar programs that have run in the same circles of the women's basketball universe of late, and will see each other in a Thanksgiving tournament for the second time in three seasons. Each team qualified for the 2025 Sweet 16, each has at least four NCAA Tournament wins in the last four seasons, and each has earned the coveted right to host in the NCAA Tournament in that stretch. Not to mention, you'll see the Tar Heels and Wildcats as mainstays in the AP Top 25, with each spending the entire 2024-25 season in the poll. Head Coach Jeff Mittie enters his 12th season at the helm of the Wildcats, and has re-set the team's single-season wins record for his tenure each of the last two seasons with 26 in 2023-24 and 28 in 2024-25. It's the start of a new era in Manhattan, Kan. this season, though, with the loss of the team's top four scorers. C Ayoka Lee (15.4 PPG), who, despite three All-America nods over the years, opted not to pursue professional basketball after battling injuries in her career, G Serena Sundell (14.1 PPG), who was picked 26th overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2025 WNBA Draft, G Temira Poindexter (12.5 PPG), and G Jaelyn Glenn (9.7 PPG) all have exhausted their eligibility and moved on. The quartet accounted for over 65% of Kansas State's scoring last season. Among newcomers to the program this season, four transfers from ACC schools join Kansas State: G Izela Arenas (Louisville), F Jenessa Cotton (Duke), G Tess Heal (Stanford), and C Ramiya White (Virginia Tech). Three top 100 recruits are headlined by five-star G Jordan Speiser, the No. 16 overall recruit by ESPN.

South Dakota State
2024-25: 30-4, 16-0 Summit League (Won Summit Championship vs. Oral Roberts, 84-68; Lost in NCAA Second Round at UConn, 91-57) – NET 43
Series Record: First Meeting
Coach Banghart Record: First Meeting

In 2003, South Dakota State claimed the NCAA Division II National Championship in the third season under Head Coach Aaron Johnston, a successful completion of their third straight Division II Elite Eight appearance under the then-28-year-old up-and-comer in the coaching world. Two seasons later, Johnston and the Jackrabbits joined Division I, and the winning continued, all with Johnston at the helm. As he embarks on his 26th season in 2025-26, Johnston has guided the Jackrabbits to 13 NCAA Tournaments out of a possible 17 since the program became postseason eligible, highlighted by a 2019 Sweet 16 appearance. Five of those 13 trips have seen the Summit League representative win at least one game, including this past season, when the Jackrabbits knocked off Oklahoma State in the NCAA First Round before bowing out to eventual champion UConn. In the regular season, South Dakota State has won three consecutive Summit League conference regular season and tournament titles, and is on an impressive 63-game conference regular season winning streak – part of an 81-1 run since 2021. With the Summit League dominance, South Dakota State is not afraid to schedule tough out of the league, beating Oregon a year ago, and coming up short against Duke, Georgia Tech, and Texas last season. This matchup with Carolina certainly fits that mold. The Jackrabbits will return F Brooklyn Meyer (17.0 PPG), a First Team All-Summit League pick and the team's leading scorer last season. In from the portal, F Maggie Hartwig (16.5 PPG at Evansville) adds another major threat. They're part of an offense that finished last season shooting 48% from the floor, seventh-best in all of Division I. While there's not a familiarity between these two programs, South Dakota State will provide yet another quality foe on an already challenging non-league slate.

Dec. 4: at Texas (Austin, TX)
2024-25: 35-4, 15-1 SEC (Lost in SEC Championship vs. South Carolina, 64-45; Lost in NCAA Final Four vs. South Carolina, 74-57) – NET 3
Series Record: UNC leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 75-73, in Chapel Hill on Jan. 11, 1981
Coach Banghart Record: First Meeting

The next 2025 Final Four team to appear on Carolina's schedule, the Texas Longhorns provide the opposition for this year's playing of the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Tar Heels will play on the road in the event for the first time since its founding three seasons ago, and somewhat surprisingly given the historical prowess of the two universities, the game will mark Carolina's first ever trip to Austin for women's basketball. Vic Schaefer enters his sixth season leading the Texas program after an immensely successful run at Mississippi State that saw the Bulldogs appear in consecutive NCAA Championship Games in 2017 and 2018. While Schaefer hasn't been able to take Texas to the final game of the season, he has guided the Longhorns to four Elite Eights and last season's Final Four. For context, Texas only reached the Elite Eight once between 2004-2019. Texas knocked off South Carolina in the regular season a year ago, only to see the Gamecocks take the other three matchups in the other regular season game, the SEC Championship Game, and the Final Four matchup – accounting for 75% of Texas' 2024-25 losses. Slotted at No. 4 in the ESPN Way Too Early Top 25, Texas returns First Team AP All-American F Madison Booker (16.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG) as the anchor of its lineup. Booker was named both the 2025 SEC Player of the Year and the 2024 Big 12 Player of the Year, living up to the hype bestowed on her as a 2023 McDonald's All-American. Also back for Texas is G Rori Harmon, who returned from injury in 2024-25 and opens her final season of eligibility with career averages of 10.9 PPG and 6.2 APG. Harmon was an AP All-American honorable mention pick last year, a selection that was fueled in part by her defensive prowess. Among incoming players, Texas has added F Teya Sidberry, who averaged 12.5 PPG and 7.0 RPG at Boston College last season, including a 12-point effort in the ACC Tournament against the Tar Heels. Five-star G Aliyah Crump is the headlining incoming freshman, the No. 5 overall recruit by ESPN. This game, on a national stage, figures to be one of the major highlights of the non-conference slate.

Dec. 7: Boston University (Chapel Hill)
2024-25: 12-19, 5-13 Patriot League (Lost in Patriot League Quarterfinals vs. Lehigh, 62-44) – NET 289
Series Record: First Meeting
Coach Banghart Record: First Meeting

The first ever meeting between Carolina and Boston University marks a return to Carmichael Arena. Melissa Graves begins her fifth season as the Terriers' head coach, having cut her teeth as an ACC assistant under Jen Hoover at Wake Forest from 2018-2021. Graves began her Boston tenure with three straight winning campaigns, headlined by a 17-1 Patriot League record in 2023, but lost consecutive Patriot League title games to Holy Cross in 2023 and 2024. 2025 was a step back for BU, albeit with a young team starting four underclass players by season's end. F Allison Schwertner (8.2 PPG and 5.2 RPG) returns after a Patriot League All-Rookie Team selection, part of the young core that is now a year older. Also on the Terriers' roster, and a major reason why the team is making the trip to North Carolina, is G Audrey Ericksen (5.7 PPG in 30 starts last season). She's a graduate of Green Level High School in Cary, where she left the program as the all-time leading scorer at 1,086 career points. This will mark Ericksen's first game back in her home state as a college player.

Dec. 17: UNCW (Chapel Hill)
2024-25: 14-18, 8-10 CAA (Lost in CAA Second Round vs. Delaware, 71-55) – NET 280
Series Record: UNC leads, 6-0
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 77-50, in Chapel Hill on Nov. 7, 2024
Coach Banghart Record: UNC leads, 3-0

UNCW will visit Carmichael Arena for the second straight season and third time in the last four years. As Nicole Woods begins her third season as the head coach of the women's basketball program down by the coast, she and her Seahawks are searching for another step forward off a successful 2024-25 campaign. UNCW's 14 overall wins were the Seahawks' most since 18 in 2018-19, and marked a nine-win improvement over 2023-24. Eight conference wins also marked the most since an 11-win 2018-19. Woods, who spent a decade on staff at Charlotte and overlapped with Carolina Associate Head Coach Joanne Aluka-White along the way, engineered an increase of nearly 10 points per game offensively (54.5 to 64.2), which jumped UNCW from 12th to third in the CAA. UNCW does lose its top four scorers, including All-CAA First Team pick Ali Zelaya (a former Tar Heel who enjoyed a flourishing close to her college career in Wilmington). The top returning player is G Kate Hollifield, who averaged 6.8 PPG and knocked down 43 three-pointers while starting in 31 of UNCW's 32 games.

Dec. 21: Charleston Southern (Chapel Hill)
2024-25: 14-16, 10-6 Big South (Lost in Big South Quarterfinals vs. Winthrop, 48-45) – NET 313
Series Record: UNC leads, 12-0
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 83-53, in Chapel Hill on Nov. 4, 2024
Coach Banghart Record: UNC leads, 2-0

The final non-conference opponent of the regular season is the team that was the first opponent last season: Charleston Southern. Clarisse White enters her fifth season of a lengthy yet progressive rebuild as CSU's head coach. In her debut season in 2021-22, she went 2-27. Five wins followed in 2022-23, then 11 in 2023-24 and ultimately 14 victories last season. CSU has been a top four seed in the Big South Tournament in consecutive seasons under White, the first time the program has accomplished that feat since 2003 and 2004. Last season marked just the second 10-win Big South season in program history, and first since 2016-17. As the Buccaneers seek that next step in 2025-26, they'll do so without G Catherine Alben, a First Team All-Big South pick who led the team at 16.6 PPG and transferred to Georgia Tech. G Tyonna Bailey (8.9 PPG) is the top returning scorer.