How UNC women’s basketball leaned on its youth — and got back to the Sweet 16

Courtney Banghart was aware of the narrative surrounding her UNC squad in the offseason: that this would be a ‘rebuild’ year.

Plenty of signs pointed to that. North Carolina lost its top three scorers from a year ago. Its roster skews young — Banghart has stated her team is the seventh youngest Power 4 squad — and outside expectations followed accordingly.

But the Tar Heels turned that youth into an edge. Senior captain Nyla Harris calls it the team’s “weapon.”

Behind a roster built largely through high school recruiting and internal development, No. 4 seed North Carolina advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the second straight season with a 74-66 win over No. 5 seed Maryland on Sunday at Carmichael Arena.

Speaking to the N&O after the win, Harris said the Tar Heels’ youth makes them less vulnerable to some of the “aches and pains” felt by older players.

“I think also they’re just willing to learn more, they’re just willing to adjust quick,” Harris said. “That’s the perks of having a young team. They’re not going to question it. They’re just going to do it. And we have had much success with that.”

That much was evident Sunday.

Banghart challenged her team to attack one-on-one matchups against Maryland’s defense. She promised the lanes would be open. It was simply a matter of the Tar Heels trusting their coach.

“I kept imploring them, honestly — it’s so against our style,” Banghart said. “Spread them out and take your guy. They just kept doing it.”

18-year-old sophomore guard Lanie Grant scored 20 points, while sophomore UCLA transfer Elina Aarnisalo added 21 points on an efficient 8-for-14 shooting night to lead four Tar Heels in double figures. Seniors Indya Nivar (14 points) and Nyla Harris (11) rounded out a balanced effort that has become a defining trait for North Carolina (28-7).

Well that, and its youth. Because it was another freshman, Nyla Brooks, who delivered the game’s defining moment.

With UNC leading by three and less than two minutes remaining, Brooks pulled up early in the shot clock and buried a 3-pointer in transition.

“I think Nyla Brooks probably hit the biggest shot of her entire collegiate career in this game,” Grant said of the moment after the win. “There wasn’t a single doubt from anybody that the ball wasn’t going to go in.”

“I looked at her after the game and said, ‘Who did you feel like?’” Grant continued. “She said, ‘I felt like myself.’ And I said, ‘I know that’s right.’”

‘Money always good’

For the record, Brooks agrees that 3-pointer is the biggest shot she’s hit as a Tar Heel. But it didn’t come as any surprise to her, either.

There’s a saying Brooks likes to repeat: “Money always good.”

It started as something she picked up back home in the DMV. She began repeating it in practice, to her teammates and to herself.

“Every time I shoot, it’s going in,” Brooks told the N&O. “So, money always good.”

And so, on Sunday, with North Carolina’s season hanging in the balance, the freshman guard let it fly without hesitation.

Aarnisalo said that moment was a testament to the team’s youth.

“We don’t maybe feel as much pressure and we’re free to shoot those shots,” Aarnisalo said. “Nyla Brooks has been shooting those 3s all season. She’s not afraid to take any shots. She always says, ‘Money always good.’ It is for her.”

But the Tar Heels, as a whole, entered this season in debt.

UNC lost its top three scorers in Alyssa Ustby, Maria Gakdeng and Lexi Donarski to graduation. Reniya Kelly was the fourth option, just behind them. She, too, has been limited due to injury. Kelly missed the last nine games entering the NCAA Tournament and has sat on the bench since.

“We lost over 70% of our production a year ago, and we didn’t bring in six transfers,” Banghart said entering the NCAA Tournament. “We brought in two. Other than that, we trusted our development. We trusted our recruiting. And I’m sure there were times where people were worried about that.”

“I give a lot of credit to the roster,” Banghart continued. “The freshmen came in ready and eager to help and have gotten better. The improved pieces of our roster have absolutely improved and have been able to be counted on.”

UNC’s youth has been dependable, but also adaptable.

Banghart has said she’s been harder on this year’s squad than “any other team” in her 19-year head coaching career, “because we are replacing so much.”

From the summer on, she pushed relentlessly — in every film session, in every practice, in every detail — demanding more communication, more toughness, more accountability.

“To their credit, leaning on Indya and Nyla Harris, they just leaned in and pointed inward,” Banghart said last week. “And they really allowed me to push them and coach them and not make it personal, like, ‘She doesn’t like us.’”

‘I wouldn’t have believed you’

There was a moment when that edge had to soften. After UNC lost two of its first three ACC games, Banghart sensed her team beginning to fracture under the weight of expectations. So, early in conference play, she adjusted.

She shifted the message from constant critique to a broader, steadier approach — focusing on winning the margins, from rebounding to turnovers to shot selection.

“I said, ‘Let’s just win as many of those as we can every game and see how it plays out,’” Banghart said. “It’s certainly been a team that we’ve figured out together. But their level of improvement — if you had told me I would be sitting right here hosting last March, I wouldn’t have believed you. And I would’ve believed you less in June.”

The growth was gradual, then sudden. What began as a roster searching for answers in the summer evolved into one ready, confident and unflinching by March — a team that, like Brooks in that moment, no longer hesitated when the shot was there.

“The story that gets told the most is through the general manager route … the teams that have all the transfers,” Banghart said. “The story that gets told the least is the coaches that trust their recruiting and develop their players.”

This season, North Carolina has become a case study in the latter.

The Tar Heels opened Sunday’s game with poise, building a 42-33 halftime lead behind Aarnisalo’s early scoring burst and a defense that limited Maryland to 34.3% shooting in the opening half. They stretched the margin to nine before the Terrapins responded with a dominant third quarter, holding UNC to just eight points and forcing five turnovers to tie the game at 50 entering the fourth quarter.

That’s where the Tar Heels’ youth showed.

Brooks’ 3-pointer sparked a decisive run, and Grant followed with a driving layup in a crucial sequence in the final minutes. The Tar Heels outscored Maryland 24-16 in the final quarter, closing the game with composure that belied their level of collegiate experience.

And now, North Carolina’s belief — forged through a season of growth — has carried it back to the Sweet 16.

The Tar Heels will face UConn on Friday at 5 p.m. in Fort Worth, Texas, where they will be heavy underdogs against a dominant Huskies squad.

But at least this far, for a group that started the year with questions, the answer has been clear: Their youth isn’t a liability.

It’s a weapon.

This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "How UNC women’s basketball leaned on its youth — and got back to the Sweet 16."