Preview: UNC women's hoops must make pivotal adjustments to combat South Carolina's Cardoso

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Over the last 24 hours, the UNC women’s basketball team has had to quickly shift.

The No. 8-seeded Tar Heels solely focused on preparing for No. 9-seeded Michigan State for the past week. Against the Spartans in the NCAA tournament Round of 64, the game plan was simple — attack the paint against a smaller, guard-heavy lineup. 

But what do you do when the script completely flips in the next round?

“I would say it’s a little more difficult, but that’s just the nature of it,” redshirt sophomore Teonni Key said.

Sure, the rules of the Big Dance are simple: first survive, then advance to face a different team. For the Tar Heels, that next matchup is top-seeded South Carolina on Sunday. But instead of relying on sharpshooting, South Carolina’s offense runs through the team’s leading scorer, center Kamilla Cardoso. The senior averages 14 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game. But if the Tar Heels focus too heavily on Cardoso, the Gamecocks have ample guard options, such as MiLaysia Fulwiley and Te-Hina Paopao — who both average over 11 points per game.

Not only is the Gamecocks’ offense completely different, but almost every player in the lineup poses a threat. So for a team that prides itself on “locking into the scout,” what happens when the game plan has to completely change?

For junior center Maria Gakdeng, the shifts she will face are arguably the most difficult.

While going against Michigan State’s Julia Ayrault — listed at 6-foot-2 — Gakdeng used her height advantage to dominate. The Boston College transfer helped UNC tally 12 more points in the paint than MSU and collected seven offensive rebounds.

But 6-foot-7 Cardoso is five inches taller than Gakdeng’s earlier foe.

“It’s not gonna be the same as the way I got to finish over [Ayrault] the other day,” Gakdeng said. 

So on Saturday morning, Gakdeng completely changed her routine. The phrase “finishing over” left her mind, shifting to “finishing around.” She recognized she has to increase her physicality and use her body to drive into Cardoso instead of just relying on her height.

With the limited time to switch her style, Gakdeng is planning to use her previous experience from the North Carolina-South Carolina matchup earlier this season. 

“I know what it’s like,” Gakdeng said. “I know what I need to bring for tomorrow and it’s going to be more of a challenge.”

With bigger threats in the paint, UNC’s guards will have an increased responsibility during Sunday’s game. Instead of finding room on the inside, the mission will be hit mid-range shots and kick out for 3-pointers. To advance in March, senior guard Deja Kelly and graduate guard Lexi Donarski are aware they have to make those big scoring plays.

But with a limited guard rotation due to injury, the veteran backcourt will face a different type of mind-killer that isn’t in a burgundy-colored uniform: fatigue.

Kelly has played 35 minutes or more in every game since Jan. 11. Donarski, meanwhile, has played 40 minutes or more in seven of the past 13 contests.

“We don’t really have the option to be tired,” Donarski said. 

With a shortened lineup, head coach Courtney Banghart even enlisted a system so that her players can quietly tell her when they are tired — just simply tug on your jersey. But the Tar Heels know they need to employ a different kind of system. Something that adds more fuel to the fire.

Good old-fashioned revenge. 

After losing by seven points to South Carolina in November, many UNC players are looking for redemption. Although co-captains Kelly and senior forward Alyssa Ustby are hesitant to put labels on it, Gakdeng is using the past loss to her advantage.

“We gave them a run for their money [and] almost got the win,” Gakdeng said. “But I feel like this is our revenge game.”

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