When top-seed South Carolina and fourth-seeded North Carolina face each other in the Sweet 16 on Friday, it’ll be a battle between familiar foes with big implications.
South Carolina is looking to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2002. However, standing in the way is a Tar Heel team that defeated South Carolina twice last year.
Pat James covers women’s basketball for The Daily Tar Heel, the student newspaper at the University of North Carolina, and he was kind enough to offer his thoughts on the Tar Heels’ season to this point and Friday’s game.
The Daily Gamecock: After missing all of last season because of leukemia, what has coach Sylvia Hatchell’s return meant for North Carolina this year?
Daily Tar Heel: From the moment coach Sylvia Hatchell took the floor for UNC’s opening exhibition against Carson-Newman, you could just tell how much of a difference she makes for this team. Associate head coach Andrew Calder did a great job last season leading the team to the Elite Eight. But even sophomore Allisha Gray, who hadn’t played a game with Hatchell on the sidelines, said after that game that she noticed an immediate difference with her return. The team really rallies around her, and the players look to her as a mother figure. No matter where you are in Carmichael Arena, you can hear Hatchell’s voice — and the players are extremely motivated by it. As motivated as UNC was last year to perform well with Hatchell out, the team might be just as — if not more — motivated to succeed and make the most of having her back.
TDG: Sophomore guard Allisha Gray leads UNC in points per game and is second in rebounds per contest. How crucial is it for her to play well this Friday as North Carolina faces South Carolina?
DTH: Sometimes when you’re watching Allisha Gray play, you can’t help but shake your head in amazement. During a game earlier this season against Florida State, the No. 2 seed in the Greensboro Region, she scored 13 points in the final five minutes and 36 seconds to give her 22 on the night and to lead the Tar Heels to a come-from-behind victory. I’d say her most impressive stat is her nearly 18 points per game against top-25 opponents. The most important reason for Gray to maintain that pace against South Carolina on Friday is because the team as a whole plays better when she’s performing her best. When Gray goes on a run, it becomes contagious. A lot of UNC’s success this season has depended on those sorts of runs. The problem for the Tar Heels is when they sit back on their heels — pun intended — and wait for Gray to create offense. This can often lead to bad shot selections, and the Tar Heels can fall in a hole easily — especially against a team like South Carolina.
TDG: What must North Carolina do well on Friday in order to defeat the Gamecocks?
DTH: I believe there are three keys to the game for UNC on Friday. And the first is rebounding. Since junior forward Xylina McDaniel suffered a knee injury on Dec. 21 against Elon, Stephanie Mavunga has been essentially the Tar Heels lone threat on the boards — averaging nearly 10 rebounds per game. Allisha Gray just has a knack for finding the ball, which is why her rebounding numbers are decent. But when the Tar Heels, who rank 183rd in the country in rebounding, face much superior rebounding teams like South Carolina, the battle on the boards is one UNC simply can’t win. Outside of Mavunga and Gray, the Tar Heels only have one other player who averages more than four rebounds per game. It’s very important on Friday that Mavunga does a good job limiting the Gamecock bigs on the glass as much as she can, and UNC really needs someone else to step up and haul in a few more rebounds. That person is likely senior guard Danielle Butts, whose unbelievable vertical makes up for her height.
The second key to the game is working the offense through Mavunga. The Tar Heels and Coach Sylvia Hatchell aren’t afraid of continuously feeding the sophomore the ball in the post. Her 31 shot attempts in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are evidence of that. But teams have adjusted to this, and she’s been facing double teams — sometimes even triple teams — ever since McDaniel’s injury. While Mavunga has shown she can still put up great numbers in these situations, she’s not going to be able to score on every possession. That’s why it’s extremely important that her teammates cut to the basket and get open. Several times this season, the rest of Mavunga’s teammates have missed open cuts to the basket — and many times this has led to poor shots and turnovers. Mavunga is a good passer, so if her teammates make these cuts, she’ll certainly take advantage.
Lastly, it’s important for UNC to push the pace. The staple of Coach Hatchell’s offense is being able to maintain a fast pace and score on the break. When the Tar Heels are able to do this, it’s impressive to see how effective their offense can be.