After an upset victory over No. 13 Louisville on Jan. 21, the North Carolina women’s basketball team found itself in first place in the ACC. The Tar Heels started their ACC schedule 7-1, their best start in conference play since 2013.
But then they lost four games in a row, including back-to-back overtime defeats to rivals Virginia Tech and Duke. After the great start over the first eight conference games, UNC went 4-6 to finish the regular season, slotting it as the No. 8 seed in this week’s ACC Tournament in Greensboro.
Despite their less-than-stellar finish to the season, ESPN bracketology expert Charlie Creme has the Tar Heels comfortably in the field of 68 as a No. 6 seed. UNC beat Duke at home on the final day of the regular season and will look to carry that momentum to Greensboro. If the Tar Heels string together a couple of victories, they would likely improve their seeding heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Here’s a look at North Carolina’s path:
Miami
UNC will open the ACC tournament on Thursday against the ninth-seeded Hurricanes at 1:30 p.m.
The Tar Heels beat Miami in the teams’ only regular-season meeting, 66-61, on Jan. 25 in Chapel Hill. UNC led by as many as 19 in the second quarter and by 13 entering the fourth. The Hurricanes fought back and made it interesting down the stretch, cutting the lead to one with under a minute to play, before Deja Kelly sealed the game with four made free throws.
The Hurricanes are second in the conference in opponent points per game and shoot the fourth-highest percentage from 3-point range at 33 percent. Shayeann Day-Wilson leads the team with 52 made 3-pointers on the season and made five of Miami's 12 shots from distance against the Tar Heels in January. Those 12 3-pointers were the most allowed by North Carolina all season. A key for UNC on Thursday will be running Day-Wilson and her teammates off the 3-point line.
