Preview: After 78-59 win over Wake Forest, UNC women's hoops looking for home win vs. Miami

The nation is once again on notice about the No. 24  North Carolina women’s basketball team after last week’s performances against rivals Duke and No. 3 N.C. State.

In a convincing win and a tough home loss, the Tar Heels displayed a dangerous combination of depth, effort and competitiveness, which have all been key to this young team’s success this season.

Then, on Thursday, the Tar Heels marched to Winston-Salem and asserted their dominance against Wake Forest, defeating the Demon Deacons 78-59 and giving head coach Courtney Banghart her 300th career win as a head coach.

They’ve made it clear that they can beat and compete with the best in the country — and they look to continue playing high-level basketball against Miami on Sunday at noon.

UNC leads the all-time series against Miami, 15-11. Last season, the Tar Heels fell twice to the Hurricanes, and both teams are returning with eight players from last year's rosters.

Posting an 11-8 overall record and 4-5 record in the ACC, Miami has had a rollercoaster of a season so far. Most of its games have been competitive, even against top teams — completing an upset over No. 15 Georgia Tech and losing by a bucket against No. 4 Indiana.

On the flip side, the Tar Heels have been beating the teams they’re supposed to, boasting a 17-0 record against teams that currently have a lower winning percentage than them. Treating Miami the same won’t be an easy task, however, as this is a team that tends to play its best against elite teams, creating an upset watch if the Tar Heels aren’t careful.

UNC should have some added incentive to come out with a win in this matchup, though.

This will be the Tar Heels' first game back in Carmichael Arena after dropping their first home loss of the season against N.C. State on Jan. 30.

After the game, players expressed disappointment in the outcome, as they had given their all in front of the largest crowd of the season and still came up short. Winning against Miami means a bit more this time — it’s an effort to reclaim the home victory streak while giving the fans a win they deserve.

There should also be individual motivations from the same game that give the Tar Heels the edge this weekend.

Sophomore guard Deja Kelly struggled to get the ball through the hoop in the team’s last home bout, as she failed to score a point for the first time this season.

It was unusual watching Kelly miss midrange jumpers that she had been consistently making game after game, and it was obvious that the rare subpar shooting performance was bothersome to her when she was seen after the game — still in her game uniform — putting up shots. Though Kelly was able to find the net against the Demon Deacons on Thursday, it didn't come at a great rate, going just 3-11 from the field and missing all four of her 3-point shots.

Graduate guard Carlie Littlefield and sophomore guard Alyssa Ustby struggled from the field in that N.C. State loss as well, but both looked more competent on Thursday. Ustby scored 18 points and notched 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season, while Littlefield had a solid outing, scoring nine points on 4-7 shooting.

A huge bounce-back from the Tar Heels’ leading scorers is bound to come, and there’s no doubt they have a chance to get back on track against the Hurricanes.

Should the UNC defensive effort shown this season stay consistent, the Tar Heels shouldn’t have a problem taking care of Miami. Through quick rotations and heavy ball pressure, UNC has been very good this season at forcing turnovers and transforming those takeaways into points as well.

It was the defense that kept them in the game against the No. 3 team in the country and gave them a 19-point win on Thursday. If they can get their offensive groove back among their top scorers, the Tar Heels should handily take care of business on Sunday. 

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