Coming off of a heartbreaking 77-75 overtime loss to Louisville in the ACC Tournament, the North Carolina women’s basketball team is looking to reverse its fortunes and perhaps challenge for a national championship.
That journey begins Saturday morning for the fourth-seeded Tar Heels (24-8, 10-6 ACC), as they will take on Liberty (26-6, 19-1 Big South), the No. 13 seed in the Greensboro Region, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. And while the Flames have not beaten a Top-25 opponent since 2005, Coach Sylvia Hatchell knows Liberty shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“A few years ago they had a great team that went to the Sweet 16. That team was pretty special, but this team is right there with them,” she said. “They’re as good as several teams we have in the ACC and I think they’ve pretty much dominated their conference.”
Liberty is led by redshirt junior and first-team All-Big South selection Ashley Rininger, who leads the team in both points (12.6) and rebounds (8.8) per game and anchors a roster that bolsters three players who are 6-foot-4 or taller.
Stephanie Mavunga stands as North Carolina’s tallest player at 6-foot-3, and while she has rarely matched up against taller players, she said the little experience she has gained will help her against Liberty’s size.
“Them being taller is going to be another challenge, like Oregon State this year; that’s exactly what I thought of when I watched the film,” she said.
“Actually I was just watching some film on that the other day and I think that’s the first time I really had my shot blocked like for real for real. But now I think I have learned and I know exactly what I need to do, and hopefully I’ll show that (against Liberty).”
Hatchell added that to overcome the height disadvantage the team plans to spread the court and make the Flames’ taller players challenge shots at the perimeter.
“We want to try and make those big girls run,” she said.
