Women’s hoops roll call: UNC surges into ACC Tournament, and what Duke, N.C. State bring
Courtney Banghart isn’t sure where Duluth is, but she knows how her team got there.
The UNC women’s basketball coach joked Sunday that she initially thought the site of the 2026 ACC Tournament was in Atlanta, not the suburb approximately 30 miles to the northeast.
“I don’t even know where Duluth is… I’m hearing it’s not Atlanta,” Banghart said. “I don’t, I don’t really know. I hope it’s closer to drive for our fans than further.”
Geography aside, the third-seeded Tar Heels arrive at Gas South Arena this week having won 12 of their last 13 games, a surge fueled by two words coined in the aftermath of their lowest point of the season.
“It’s us.”
North Carolina (25-6, 14-4 ACC) enters the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Friday night riding momentum from a 74-69 upset of No. 12 Duke — the reigning conference tournament champions — in the regular-season finale. The victory, played before a sold-out Carmichael Arena crowd on Senior Day, marked the Tar Heels’ first win over an AP Top 25 opponent this season and secured their 14th ACC win — the most since 2013.
The victory also underscored how far UNC has come since mid-January.
Ranked No. 11 in the preseason, North Carolina slid out of the AP poll in January — after being ranked for 30 straight weeks — following two straight losses. The Tar Heels lost in overtime against Stanford on Jan. 4 and then suffered a 73-50 blowout at Notre Dame, which Banghart described as a game in which her team “never even got off the plane.”
“That was like a ‘Whoa. What just happened? Why?’” Banghart said Sunday.
After the loss, UNC’s team captains met. They knew they had to make a change.
“We obviously hit that point in the season where we dropped a couple of games we may not have wanted to drop… we had a decision to make,” guard Lanie Grant said after a Feb. 2 win at N.C. State. “Were we going to let the season go and all do our own things, or were we going to make a conscious effort to come together?”
The answer — the reset phrase of “it’s us” — became their rallying cry.
“It’s just a reminder that no matter what we may hear, what we may see … at the end of the day, it is us,” Grant said.
Banghart also adjusted. Reflecting after Sunday’s win, Banghart acknowledged she had been harder on this group than any other in her tenure, pushing a young roster that lost its top three scorers from last season: guard Lexi Donarski, forward Alyssa Ustby and center Maria Gakdeng.
“I reminded them of it: it is us,” Banghart said. “We’re not going to win every statistical category. That’s not how we’re built, but we’re going to win enough of them. And that really is kind of how it shifted.”
Banghart reiterated those themes of connection and resilience during Sunday’s win over Duke — both in a timeout after UNC trailed 10-3 early and again in the fourth quarter.
The result was one of the program’s most significant wins in recent years. Sophomore guard Elina Aarnisalo scored a career-high 22 points, senior forward Nyla Harris added 19 in her final home game and the Tar Heels outrebounded Duke 45-33.
The turnaround has positioned the Tar Heels for a potential top-16 national seed and NCAA tournament hosting consideration.
North Carolina, the No. 3 seed in the ACC tournament, will face the winner of Virginia Tech and the Georgia Tech-Florida State game in Friday’s quarterfinal game at 7:30 p.m. The Tar Heels are seeking their 10th conference tournament title and first since 2008.
Duke, Kara Lawson focusing on the big picture
The Blue Devils enter the ACC tournament with plenty still to prove, even after clinching the league’s No. 1 seed.
Sunday’s loss at UNC denied Duke (21-8, 16-2 ACC) a chance at its first outright regular-season title since 2013. Still, Kara Lawson’s team secured the program’s first ACC regular-season crown since 2012-13 and will open play Friday in Duluth as the tournament favorite.
“If you followed us this year, we haven’t been swayed by result,” Lawson said Sunday. “We’ve stayed focused on our process. We stay focused on our growth. I think you’re never a finished product, and we’re about three weeks away from the start of the NCAA Tournament. There’s a lot of growth that you can capture as a team if you really work and get better.”
The setback in Chapel Hill marked Duke’s second loss in three games, a contrast from the 17-game winning streak — including a 15-0 start in ACC play — that defined much of its winter surge. Against UNC, Duke shot just 31.6% in the third quarter and managed one field goal in the final five minutes before a late 3-pointer trimmed the margin.
Sophomore Toby Fournier and junior Delaney Thomas battled foul trouble down the stretch and eventually fouled out, underscoring the thin margins for a team that has largely relied on a seven-player rotation amid injuries.
“You look around the league and there’s very few teams that are doing it with that short of a rotation, right?” Lawson said Sunday. “And when you look at our evolution through the season — to have one of the best defensive players in the country, a two-year starter for us, (Jadyn) Donovan, out; to have Emilee Skinner, one of the top incoming freshman guards, out; to have Emma Koabel out… I don’t want an extra brownie from you guys for it, but what I’m saying is, I’m proud of my team.”
Duke will face the winner of No. 8 Virginia and No. 9 Clemson in the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. on Friday.
Zoe Brooks peaking at the right time for N.C. State
Sophomore guard Zoe Brooks poured in 20 points, five assists, four steals and four rebounds in N.C. State’s 93-43 rout at Pittsburgh on Sunday, helping the Wolfpack secure the No. 4 seed and a double bye in the ACC tournament. N.C. State (20-9, 13-5 ACC) will open play at 1:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of No. 12 Stanford/No. 13 Miami and No. 5 Notre Dame.
Brooks’ growth has mirrored the team’s late-season surge, said coach Wes Moore.
“She has really stepped up, not only scoring the ball but also really getting her teammates involved,” Moore said. “That’s probably the biggest step she’s taken as a point guard.”
N.C. State clinched its seed with a wire-to-wire win over Pitt, forcing 21 turnovers and recording a season-high 17 steals while holding the Panthers to a season-low 43 points. Khamil Pierre added 16 points and 12 rebounds, securing her 20th double-double of the season by halftime.
The Wolfpack has earned nine double byes under Moore and is 28-16 all-time in ACC quarterfinals, winning seven of its last eight in that round. Still, Moore emphasized that March success will hinge on consistency.
“Defending and rebounding,” he said. “You have to play every possession like it’s the last possession. You may not shoot well, but you still have to win if you’re going to survive and advance.”
N.C. State is seeking its eighth ACC Tournament title and third under Moore.
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Women’s hoops roll call: UNC surges into ACC Tournament, and what Duke, N.C. State bring."