CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –– The No.14-ranked UNC women’s basketball team will face the No.2 UConn team (2-0) at 6 p.m. at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.
North Carolina moved to 3-0 on the season following a 66-47 win over North Carolina A&T on Tuesday. They also have wins over Charleston Southern and UNC Wilmington.
The Tar Heels are 9-5 all-time versus the Huskies, yet have lost the last six matchups. The two teams faced off last season at Mohegan Sun where redshirt senior and projected No.1 draft pick Paige Bueckers led her team to a 76-64 win with 26 points, four blocks and three steals. This season, Bueckers is supported in the backcourt by former No.1 high school recruit Sarah Strong, who is averaging an impressive 15 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the season. Bueckers is also averaging 17.5 points this season.
On the Tar Heels’ side, graduate student Lexi Donarksi currently leads UNC with 15 points per game, while senior Alyssa Ustby is averaging 10.7 points. UNC head coach Courtney Banghart will be searching for her first win over the Huskies and her 100th win at Carolina which would be an impressive feat against the No.2 team in the country. However, the imposing strength of UConn might make the journey to victory a bit difficult.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma is also looking to make history tonight. Auriemma—who currently sits at 1,215 career wins— has the chance to tie recently retired Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer’s 1,216 wins and eventually become the career leader in NCAA basketball coaching victories.
The clash between these two top-15 teams will be a highly competitive matchup with both teams looking to make a statement.