UNC women’s basketball vs. WIU: Game preview, info and more

After nearly two weeks of waiting, the UNC women’s basketball team will finally take the court on Friday evening. In their NCAA Tournament opener, the 4-seed Tar Heels will host 13-seed Western Illinois at 5:30 p.m. – in Carmichael Arena.

North Carolina (26-7, 14-4 ACC) began its ACC Tournament run by beating Virginia Tech for a second time this season, but lost for a second time to Louisville, in the ACC Semis on March 7.

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Western Illinois (26-5, 16-4 Ohio Valley Conference) won two close games to capture the OVC Tournament crown. The Leathernecks advanced to the Championship game with a 74-66 victory over Southeast Missouri State, then beat Lindenwood in a 71-65 rematch from one week earlier.

Despite losing program great Alyssa Ustby to graduation, UNC returned plenty of young talent capable of stepping into larger roles.

The Tar Heels have four players averaging double-figures: frontcourt star Nyla Harris (11.3 points per game), Lanie Grant (10.6), Indya Nivar (10.3) and UCLA transfer Elina Aarnisalo. Ciera Toomey is thriving in her full-time role as North Carolina’s center, averaging 9.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while depth is emphasized by 10 players averaging double-digit minutes.

After Courtney Banghart’s squad reached the Sweet 16 a year ago, before losing to archrival Duke, there’s hope an Elite Eight appearance – and possibly more – are in store this March.

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Make no mistake: WIU has a dangerous offense, capable of causing problems for any defense. Mia Nicastro averages 24.2 points per game, fourth amongst Division I scorers. Raegan McGowan follows close behind with 17 points per game, while Addi Brownfield (12.6) and Mallory Shetley also average double-figures in the scoring department.

UNC should win this one big, but it has to be careful, even playing in front of what you can expect to be a packed Carmichael. Keep reading below for our game preview, which includes UNC’s key to victory, their full schedule, something to watch,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/unc-womens-basketball-vs-wiu-180102991.html

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Publish date : 2026-03-19 18:01:00

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