North Carolina Tar Heels
ACC (24-8, 10-6)
North Carolina has battled its way through some up and down moments in conference play to be in a position to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels have earned some signature wins over teams like Stanford and Florida State along with battling Duke to the wire in a close overtime loss. With head coach Sylvia Hatchell back on the sidelines this season, North Carolina has not missed a beat.
Big Wins: 11/28 vs Stanford (70-54), 12/4 at Rutgers (96-93), 2/12 Florida State (71-63)
Bad Losses: 12/16 Oregon State (55-70), 1/8 at Pittsburgh (59-84), 2/5 at Syracuse (56-61)
Coach: Sylvia Hatchell
Why They Can Surprise:
The Tar Heels will often have four guards in the court at the same time and use that speed to keep the pressure on the opposition. The leaders of the backcourt are Alisha Gray and Brittany Rountree, who have come up big all season long for North Carolina. They also do a nice job of sharing the basketball and they average right around 15 assists per game. Stephanie Mavunga is a force down in the low blocks and she is very difficult to stop when the Tar Heels get her going early on in games. North Carolina is also going to need a big contribution out of players like N’Dea Bryant, who has done a solid job of shooting the basketball from the floor and can block shots and provide a spark off the bench when not starting.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The lack of depth up front is a concern. Stephanie Mavunga is the only true inside presence at both ends of the court that can cause headaches for opposing teams. Thus, teams in the NCAA Tournament are more than likely going to pound the ball inside to get Mavunga in foul trouble. This means it is going to be very critical for the Tar Heel guards to dominate defensively by causing turnovers and not allowing opposing teams the chance to get into the lane and score easily. Free-throw shooting is another potential cause concern. North Carolina has struggled from the foul line and that could easily haunt them in a close game in the NCAA Tournament.
Probable Starters:
Allisha Gray, Sophomore, Guard, 15.7 ppg, 2.2 apg, 7.8 rpg
Brittany Rountree, Senior, Guard, 7.5 ppg, 2.4 apg
Latifah Coleman Senior, Guard, 6.3 ppg, 3.1 apg
Danielle Butts, Senior, Guard, 5.3 ppg, 1.1 apg, 4.2 rpg
Stephanie Mavunga, Forward, 14.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.4 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
N’Dea Bryant, Junior, Guard, 4.9 ppg
Jamie Cherry, Freshman, Guard, 6.7 ppg, 2.1 apg
Jessica Washington, Sophomore, Guard, 7.5 ppg, 1.1 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.5 (24th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.3 (174, 11)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.2 (113, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.1 (53, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.6 (61, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.1 (175, 12)
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.0 (255, 13)
Rebound Margin: -0.1 (191, 11)
Assists Per Game: 14.9 (68, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.3 (123, 8)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA First Round win over Tennessee-Martin
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Michigan State
2014 NCAA Third Round win over South Carolina
2014 NCAA Quarterfinal loss to Stanford
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Albany
2013 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Delaware
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Fresno State
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kentucky
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Stanford
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Gonzaga
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Central Florida
2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Purdue
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Bucknell
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Georgia
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Louisville
2008 NCAA Regional Final loss to LSU
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Prairie View
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Notre Dame
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over George Washington
2007 NCAA Regional Final win over Purdue
2007 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Tennessee
*all team stats through 3/5
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
