Maria Gakdeng erupts for team-high 17 points in NCAA tournament debut, helps UNC beat Michigan State

COLUMBIA, S.C. — In the hours leading up to Maria Gakdeng’s first NCAA tournament game, the junior center met with head coach Courtney Banghart. 

During the meeting, Banghart diverted from her typical pregame discussion. Rather than talking about finding deep post positions or fighting for the rebound, the head coach tailored her speech to encourage the self-proclaimed unconfident player. 

Banghart supplied some simple advice: play with a little more joy. 

“That’s something that I struggled with,” Gakdeng said. “Just having fun with it, smiling and having fun with my teammates.”

While Banghart's advice might seem insignificant, it proved to be the final step in Gakdeng becoming sure of her playing style. In No. 8 seeded North Carolina’s 59-56 victory over No. 9 seeded Michigan State, the center erupted for a team-high 17 points. Not only did Gakdeng secure 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double performance of the year, but she also made sure seven of them were offensive rebounds. Led by Gakdeng, the Tar Heels outscored the Spartans in the paint by 12 points.

Banghart would be the first to admit that Gakdeng is a different type of player.

The center doesn’t find confidence in preparation. Although Banghart preaches that self-assurance comes from hard work, the center is immune to the sentiment. Gakdeng spends most of her time preparing, but still she feels unsure when she reaches the floor. 

“She puts time outside of practice and works on her skill work,” Banghart said, “and usually that’s enough.”

Gakdeng is more critical of herself than most. She doesn’t let go of bad games or missed opportunities. With Banghart’s pressure-filled phrase — “When you play well, we win” — echoing through her head, the junior transfer became highly aware of how she impacted the team. To her, the group’s success depended solely on her. 

When the Tar Heels suffered a four-game losing streak earlier this season, Gakdeng recognized that she scored less than five points in three of them. As the tallest presence in the post, she also saw that she only averaged around five rebounds during that stretch. 

“When I have those bad games,” Gakdeng said, "I start to get hard on myself and start to play less than what I know I can do."

So as the junior prepared for her first appearance in the Big Dance, she didn’t focus on a more rigid practice schedule. Instead, her journey became internal.

“It’s helping her see, who else do you need to believe in you?” Banghart said. 

Gakdeng developed a new routine that would help her believe in herself. She returned to the fundamentals. She began to simply enjoy herself on the floor again. 

Less than a minute into the game, the Boston College transfer found a spot deep in the post. She went up for a layup and drew the foul. The whistle blew and the ball found the net: and-1.

Gakdeng stomped away from the hoop, yelled and clapped her hands at her teammates.

She notched seven points in the first quarter. As the Spartans cut down North Carolina’s lead to eight at the half, she recorded an early four points to start the third quarter. On the defensive end, the center even tallied three blocks. Time and time again, she pushed UNC closer to a victory.

But following the win, Gakdeng didn’t find joy in looking at the box score or her heightened stats. Instead, her favorite moments came from sharing the post with senior forward Alyssa Ustby. 

“Maria and I have established a great relationship on the court and off the court, and I think that’s something that’s really helped,” Ustby said. “I feel that we can trust each other a lot.”

So rather than criticize her own performance, Gakdeng simply enjoyed watching Ustby. 

“[I enjoyed] having my other teammates,” Gakdeng said. “Watching Alyssa get those boards, making free throws [and] making those big shots.” 

Up by seven with nine minutes left to play, Ustby found Gakdeng inside for an easy two points. The two players pointed at each other.

For a center that rarely used to smile while she played, Gakdeng ran back down the court with one on her face.

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