University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
#12 Louisville
No. 16 WBB Squaring Off Against No. 12 Louisville In ACC Tournament Semifinals
March 7, 2026 | Women's Basketball
No. 16/16 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (26-6, 14-4 ACC)
Head Coach: Courtney Banghart (Dartmouth, 2000)
Record at North Carolina: 151-70 (7th season)
Career Record: 405-173 (19th season)
No. 12/12 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (26-6, 15-3 ACC)
Head Coach: Jeff Walz (Northern Kentucky, 1995)
Record at UL: 512-152 (19th season)
Career Record: Same
TIPPING OFF
• It's semifinal Saturday as Carolina looks to punch its first trip to the ACC Tournament finals since 2013 as it takes on the Louisville Cardinals for the second time in the conference tournament.
• Scoring 85 points in the quarterfinal matchup against Virginia Tech, it set the most points scored by Carolina in an ACC Tournament game since 2008. Carolina shattered multiple Banghart-era tournament records as the Tar Heels shot an efficient 51.6% from the floor, as well as their largest margin of victory at 17 points.
• Lanie Grant put on a show against the Hokies with a career-high 21 points after shooting 8-of-12 from the field and knocking down four triples.
• Grant's performance led Carolina to shatter the single-season program record as a team with 271 threes and counting this season.
CAROLINA VS. LOUISVILLE - ACC TOURNAMENT ACTION
North Carolina and Louisville meet for the second time on an ACC Tournament floor on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams last met in the conference tournament in 2015, where the Cardinals won 77-75 in overtime in the quarterfinal round.
SERIES HISTORY VS. LOUISVILLE
SERIES NOTES...
All-Time: UL leads 10-6
In Chapel Hill: UL leads 4-2
In Louisville: UL leads 1-5
At Neutral Sites: UNC leads 3-1
Longest UNC Streak: 3 straight (2/24/85-3/29/08)
Longest UL Streak: 8 straight (2/15/15-1/28/21)
Largest UNC Win: 15 (2/24/85 - in Anchorage)
Largest UL Win: 30 (2/19/17 - in Louisville)
Most UNC Points: 86 (2/24/85 - in Anchorage)
Most UL Points: 87 (2/19/17 - in Louisville)
Last 10 Meetings: UL leads 8-2
TAR HEELS IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT
March is here, as Carolina heads south to Duluth, Ga., for the 2026 Ally ACC Women's Basketball Tournament as the No. 3 overall seed.
Wrapping league play with 14 wins, the Tar Heels match the victory count and their best finish in ACC action since the 2012-13 season. The 2013 Carolina squad advanced to the finals of the ACC Tournament.
Overall, Carolina is 67-39 as a program in ACC Tournament games. Under Banghart, Carolina is 4-6 in conference tournament action.
Last season in Greensboro, Carolina defeated Boston College in the second round and toppled Florida State in the quarterfinal matchup to reach the semifinal for the first time since 2014.
The Tar Heels are on the hunt for their first appearance in the ACC Tournament final since 2013 and their 10th overall title since their last one in 2008.
LAST TIME OUT
Never count Carolina out of the fight, as UNC shook off a slow first quarter to go on and run past Virginia Tech, 85-68, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
Four Tar Heels posted double-figure outings as Lanie Grant led the way with a career-high 21 points.
As a team, Carolina shot an efficient 51.6% from the floor to set a Banghart era tournament best en route to 85 points.
Posting her fifth double-double of the season, Nyla Harris added 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead all players off the glass.
Remaining hot, Elina Aarnisalo tallied 18 points while dishing out a season-high six assists.
THREES ARE IN THE FORECAST
Knocking down the three-ball at a high rate all season long, Carolina drained seven as a team against Virginia Tech to break the previous program record of 269 made triples set last season.
Four of the top-10 seasons in makes from beyond the arc now belong to Courtney Banghart teams.
Lanie Grant leads all Tar Heels this season with 63 makes from deep.
