The biggest college basketball rivalry in North Carolina is no longer between Duke and UNC in men’s hoops — it’s between NC State and UNC in women’s hoops.
In the latest edition of what is quickly becoming one of the best women’s college basketball rivalries in the entire country, the No. 11 Wolfpack (13-3, 3-2 ACC) and No. 22 Tar Heels (10-5, 1-3 ACC) square off for the first time this season in Chapel Hill over the weekend.
Although it has always produced anticipated matchups, the rivalry got some extra spice last season when UNC head coach Courtney Banghart infamously called Reynolds Coliseum a “small gym” ahead of the first matchup between the two teams.
The Pack then proceeded to beat the Heels by 27 in its “small gym” and completed the season sweep later in the month in Carmichael Arena. Continuing to be the punchline of NC State fans’ jokes, Banghart has since said the gym where the Heels played in the Bahamas was both “louder and hotter” than Reynolds and called NC State fans “classless” on a podcast.
But to Banghart’s credit, she has rebuilt UNC’s program after taking the reins in 2019, as evidenced by the Heels’ Sweet 16 finish in the 2022 NCAA Tournament and their consistent national ranking this season. She boasts three wins over NC State in her tenure as head coach, including wins over an undefeated Wolfpack squad in 2020 and again upsetting the Pack in 2021.
The Heels are coming off their biggest win of the season thus far, beating then-No. 4 Notre Dame at home last Sunday, which snapped a four-game losing streak and served as the team’s first ACC win. In the win, Carolina held the Irish to a season-low 50 points and less than 30% shooting from the field.
Carolina also has big ranked wins over the likes of Oregon and Iowa State and played Virginia Tech down to the wire on the road. Despite a recent string of losses, the Heels are a team that can beat anyone on any given night.
UNC’s best player is guard Deja Kelly, who averages over 16 points per game and has scored 20 or more points five times this season. In the matchup between the two teams last season in Chapel Hill, the Pack was notably able to hold Kelly in check as she finished 0-11 from the field with no points, which was due to the defensive prowess of Kai Crutchfield. This time, Kelly will likely be guarded by sophomore guard Saniya Rivers, who will try to replicate Crutchfield’s success.
The Heels are a backcourt-dominated team with their top-six scorers being guards. Because of this, the Pack should be able to win the rebounding margin, but UNC may also try to run up-and-down the court to outpace NC State’s bigger lineup.
For the Pack, the team seems to have finally become healthy again after junior guard Diamond Johnson and senior forward Jada Boyd missed several games throughout December due to injury. They are both back in the starting lineup and have proven their value since their return, scoring in double figures in each of the team’s last two games.
Johnson and Boyd’s return couldn’t have come at a better time as NC State prepares for one of the more challenging portions of its schedule, a road trip that begins with a game at Florida State, a team who just recently beat the Heels in Chapel Hill. After losing two home games to Duke and Boston College before its most recent blowout win over Virginia, the Pack will look to avoid any more slip-ups in order to keep pace at the top of the ACC.
Not only has the Pack proven that it can beat good teams this season, but it has proven it can beat them on the road with an impressive 5-1 record in games outside of Raleigh. Aside from the team’s loss at UConn, NC State boasts impressive wins at Iowa and Georgia and will look to rediscover that “road warrior” mentality this weekend.
After facing Florida State this Thursday, Jan. 12 at 6 p.m., the action in Chapel Hill starts this Sunday, Jan. 15 at 3:30 p.m. with the broadcast on ESPN.
