UNC plays Virginia Tech tonight in the ACC tournament quarterfinals. More on that below.
UNC women’s basketball team finished the season on a 13-1 tear. The one loss was at Duke, a game that the Blue Devils shot 21 free throws to the Tar Heels’ zero ijn a game that ended with a four point margin. At 14-4 in conference and 25-6 overall, the women enter their tournament as the #3 seed behind Louisville (15-3) and Duke (16-2).
Three Tar Heels earned All ACC honors for Courtney Banghart’s program:
Nyla Harris transferred to UNC for her final season, and she ends the regular
season First Team All ACC. For the season, Harris averaged 11.2 points on 56.6% shooting, with 6.6 rebounds per game. She did even better in ACC play, averaging 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 57.6% from the floor.
Indya Nivar earned Second Team ACC honors. The senior led the team in assists and steals, recording a triple double against South Dakota State: 13 points, 12 assists, and 10 steals, plus five assists. Nivar also made the All-Defensive team.
Nyla Brooks lived up to her recruiting acclaim and made the All-Freshmen team. Highlights include five threes and 21 points against Wake Forest. For the season, Brooks shot 38.5% from distance on 143 attempts. At the other end of the floor, she recorded four blocks against SMU.
Looking ahead to the ACC Tournament:
As the 3 seed, UNC waited through a double bye to see who would emerge from a bracket including #11 Georgia Tech, #14 Florida State, and #6 Virginia Tech. In Wednesday night’s final game, Georgia Tech held Florida State to 37% shooting in a 12 point win. In Thursday’s night’s nightcap, Virginia Tech scored all of seven points in the first quarter to trail by 10 before rallying to lead by six at half. After a back and forth third quarter, the Hokies pulled away for an eight point win while UNC rested through their double bye.
UNC and Virginia Tech met once in the regular season, in Chapel Hill on February 19. The game ended 66-63 Tar Heels in overtime. Both teams played great defense, with UNC limiting Virginia Tech’s Carleigh Wenzel, their leading scorer, to 3-15 from the field. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, forced 17 turnovers. The defensive struggle went down to the wire, with UNC’s Nyla Harris and Lanie Grant both recording blocks on Wenzel 3 point attempts in the final seven seconds. The rematch probably follows a similar storyline, with the winner making one more play than the other on the defensive end.
The winner of UNC’s game faces the winner of the Louisville-Syracuse game in the semi-finals. If you’re watching UNC play Virginia Tech, join the live discussion in the comments.
