Analysis: Two takeaways about UNC women's basketball from ACC Tipoff

The UNC women’s basketball team is finally injury free.

After a season riddled with injuries, head coach Courtney Banghart was quick to point out the healthy roster on Wednesday at ACC Tipoff in Charlotte. 

“If we can stay healthy, we’re deeper,” Banghart said. “We’ve got more pieces.”

And now, North Carolina will look to utilize its health to formulate a new identity. 

Here are two takeaways from UNC women’s basketball from ACC Tipoff as the season approaches:

Blend of experience and youth

The North Carolina squad features nine returning players along with two incoming transfers and three first-year players. Notable first-years include forward Ciera Toomey (a redshirt who suffered a dislocated wrist prior to the beginning of last season), center Blanca Thomas, guard Jordan Zubich and guard Lanie Grant.  

Banghart is impressed with her young core, even comparing Toomey to former UConn and current New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, who won four championships and four MVPs as a Huskie. She also stated that Thomas is a well rounded player and Zubich can be “one of the best shooters in the country.”

“It’s like every day I go to practice and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, you’re so good, you're so good,'” Banghart said. “And we keep mixing up the teams and it’s like watching Ciera battle Alyssa every day, watching Lanie, Indya battle Jordan Zubich. It's awesome.”

Off the court, graduate forward Alyssa Ustby said the team has become incredibly close — something that doesn’t take the “extra effort” that it has required in the past. The team watches the Bachelorette, Love Island and eats at Red Crab frequently. 

“It’s been really cool to be a part of a team where you didn’t have to force opportunities to build team chemistry and want to hangout,” Ustby said.

Throughout the season, the Tar Heels will need to balance production from veterans, transfers and first-years, and that comes with continuing to build on the chemistry they have already worked to create. 

‘Very different’ offense

Last season, UNC averaged just shy of 68 points per game, ranking 127th in the country. For context, national champion South Carolina was third with an average of 85.4 points per game. With injuries plaguing the Tar Heels throughout the 2023-24 season, the team struggled with spacing and lacked the ability to tweak the offense during practices. 

“The offense will be very different,” Banghart said. “I think we’ll still have a similar defensive toughness but the offense will look very different.” 

Now, with every guard healthy and Ustby working on her outside shot, North Carolina will look to stretch the floor to create space for its guards. Banghart said this will help alleviate double teams in the post, which senior center Maria Gakdeng and Ustby experienced for a large portion of last year.

Graduate guard Lexi Donarski is a key piece in helping reduce double teams by using the additional space on the court. 

“I would say something that we’ve been working on since, like what coach was saying, that our spacing is a lot better,” Donarski said. “The floor is open, working on me attacking more, coming off the dribble and getting more variety of shots.”

With increased spacing, North Carolina will be able to add versatility to its offense, featuring key players at all positions on the court. 

In practice, UNC has been able to run six-on-six drills, something Banghart said the team couldn’t even run in December last season due to the amount of injuries. Furthermore, Ustby noted the team's ability to play in transition and characterized the offense as playing at a fast pace.

As the season begins, establishing a new, versatile offensive identity will be key in helping the Tar Heels, blending their new-look offense with the variety of experience. 

@mdmaynard74

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