'A fresh start:’ UNC women's basketball gears up for NCAAT first round

COLUMBIA, S.C. — After UNC’s second round exit in the ACC tournament, Deja Kelly said the Tar Heels had to take a few days apart from each other. 

The loss stung, especially for the veteran players. But there was a silver lining to the early departure —  a reset was needed. 

Head coach Courtney Banghart was able to grant the team a few consecutive days off from practice for the first time since last April. Afterwards, she said the team had an entire week to work on themselves without a known opponent looming over them or a specific game plan to prepare.

In the time away, Kelly said she used the days to look inward and get better. Others did, too. While Kelly watched film from the comfort of her own home, graduate guard Lexi Donarski spent time with her family and sat with the loss. Senior forward Anya Poole focused on her mental health and dedicated time to her internship at GiGi’s Playhouse. Then, the team regrouped and returned to practice anew. 

As No. 8-seeded North Carolina looks to collect a first round win in the NCAA tournament on Friday, the Tar Heels are fueled by the lessons learned in their ACC tournament loss to Miami.

“I think a fresh start is a good way to describe it,” senior forward Alyssa Ustby said. “We don’t need to necessarily reinvent ourselves, but redefine ourselves.”

But how do the Tar Heels want to redefine themselves? 

According to Ustby, it starts with returning to the aspects of their game they consider their "bread and butter" — rebounding and run-outs in transition. Most importantly, she said UNC is focusing on offensive intentionality and defensive urgency. 

North Carolina allowed Miami to claw out of a 14-point deficit. The Tar Heels went 7-for-30 from the field in the second half in the loss. Entering Friday, UNC is emphasizing running the necessary actions to get shots for the right people. On the defensive end, Donarski stressed applying ball pressure and denying access to the passing lanes.

“We have to play well,” Kelly said. “That doesn’t just mean shots falling. That means in a variety of ways how we can impact the games to make sure we come out with a win.” 

When the team returned from its brief respite, junior center Maria Gakdeng said they had a hard but crucial, conversation about what was needed to move forward in the tournament and avoid an early exit. Players acknowledged that UNC’s next chapter will require a different level of intensity. 

And in the first few days of practice after their ACC tournament loss, the Tar Heels brought exactly that. With their “practice guys” out of town for spring break, Donarski said it became a competitive five-on-five, teammate-versus-teammate clash. The intensity reminded Gakdeng of early preseason practices headlined by back-and-forth trash talking and physical battles in the post.

Gakdeng said those five-on-five sessions also created a sense of purpose for North Carolina. The opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament only comes once a year for 68 teams, and for the Boston College transfer, this one is the first of her entire career.

She wants to make this count. Not just for her, but for the four seniors who could be playing in their final few games. 

“This was our goal to make it here, to make a good run and make it to the Final Four,” Gakdeng said. “It says outside of our locker, ‘Final Four team loading,’ so we knew we were destined for this.”

@carolinewills03

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com