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.
