Despite loss to No. 3 N.C. State, Kennedy Todd-Williams stands out

Some people like to analyze with numbers. Some like to use the eye-test. 

Regardless of how you watch basketball, if you watched the North Carolina women’s basketball team on Sunday night, you definitely noticed the play of sophomore guard Kennedy Todd-Williams. 

As a team, the Tar Heels definitely had their struggles against their rival N.C. State — shooting just 32.3 percent from the field and 21.7 percent from three in a 66-58 loss. 

Their shooting struggles came back to haunt them in the second half as the Wolfpack caught fire from beyond the arc — quickly turning a halftime lead into a deficit that the Tar Heels could not overcome. 

Despite the unfavorable outcome, UNC kept it competitive between itself and the No. 3 team in the country — thanks to Todd-Williams’ presence. 

“There’s no bigger Kennedy Todd-Williams fan than me,” head coach Courtney Banghart said.

For the eye-test watchers, Todd-Williams was everywhere on the court. One moment, she’s in the face of the ball-handler at the top of the key. Another moment, she’s running sideline to sideline for a loose ball. And in the blink of an eye, she’s going coast-to-coast on a fast break. 

“It was just a different mindset coming into this game,” Todd-Williams said. “I think we did a really good job of being more aggressive at the defensive end, so we can convert on the offensive end.”

From watching Todd-Williams, it was obvious that was her formula — turning defense into easy points. It wasn’t as clear for those who look at numbers, as she only recorded one steal, but her deflections and disruptions made an impact in Sunday’s game.

Go back to the fourth quarter with 1:44 to go. The Tar Heels were down 63-56 and closing the gap on an 8-3 run. Todd-Williams jumped in front of a high pass — and right before she was called for a controversial foul, the crowd exploded and all of the momentum seemed to swing in the direction of the home team.

Energy shifting moments like that, from the perspective of graduate guard Carlie Littlefield, are contagious and fuel the team’s competitiveness.

“Having somebody else on the backcourt who really gets excited about defending makes it so much easier to get up in those passing lanes to go for steals because, you know, (Todd-Williams) has our back — she’s really everywhere flying around,” Littlefield said. “Even if we go for a gamble, go for a ball, she’s going to be there to have our back.”

From looking at her stats, Todd-Williams’ offensive impact is just as undeniable.

Todd-Williams was the leading scorer for UNC and, once again, matched her career high of 15 points on Sunday afternoon — one game after reaching the same feat in the Tar Heels’ previous match-up against Duke. 

“When you have somebody who can get to the rim, slice the floor, get other people shots, beat everybody in transition — it totally changes the game and opens everybody else up,” Littlefield said.

The impressive thing about these career performances is the stage and opponent against which they occurred.

Todd-Williams stepped up for her team against a top-25 rival on their court and did it again against a top-three team who dominated the Tar Heels in their first meeting.

Despite the pressure in these match-ups, for Todd-Williams, it’s still about having fun and playing as a team.

“Playing with these girls, you know, I’m just having fun and obviously I know I need to step up in my role, and everybody will do the same,” Williams said. “Everybody brings their piece, you know. We can connect it together, and it showed tonight.”

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com