University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
#1 South Carolina
November 7, 2026 | Women's Basketball
No. 12/11 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (0-1, 0-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Courtney Banghart (Dartmouth, 2000)
Record at North Carolina: 153-73 (8th season)
Career Record: 407-176 (20th season)
No. 1/1 SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Dawn Staley (Virginia, 1992)
Record at South Carolina: 512-114 (19th season)
Career Record: 684-194 (27th season)
TIPPING OFF
• North Carolina returns to the United States following its season opener against Oklahoma in Paris, with another tough test ahead in the battle of the Carolinas against No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday afternoon in Charlotte for the 2026 Ally Tipoff.
• The Tar Heels look for their fourth overall win in program history against a No. 1 team and their first since 2019. Sunday is also North Carolina's fourth overall meeting against a top-ranked South Carolina squad.
• Making her presence known in the season opener, Kate Harpring dropped a team-high 21 points while adding six rebounds, five assists and two steals against Oklahoma. Harpring is the only Tar Heel freshman to score 20 or more points in their UNC debut in statistics dating back through the 2002-03 season.
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
Despite falling in the 2026 National Championship game, the Gamecocks fully restocked and reloaded ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
Returning the likes of Preseason All-SEC First Team member Joyce Edwards and Second Team honorees in Tessa Johnson and Chloe Kitts, South Carolina earned 23 first-place votes to earn a No. 1 Preseason AP Ranking.
The Gamecocks once again earned the top spot in the preseason poll for the fifth time in the last seven seasons.
Also opening the season in Paris, top-ranked South Carolina withstood a tough second-half test from Maryland to defeat the Terrapins, 101-93.
CAROLINA VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heels search to snap a four game losing streak to the Gamecocks on Sunday, looking for their first win in the series since the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
The two Carolina's go head-to-head for the first time since the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, as it marks the second regular-season game between the two schools in the Banghart era.
On a neutral floor, North Carolina leads the series 7-6, with that last victory over South Carolina coming in the 2014 Sweet 16 from Stanford.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite a back-and-forth first half against No. 21 Oklahoma in the 2026 Oui Play in Paris, France on Monday night, Carolina could not slow down the Sooners offensivley in the second half to drop the season opener, 91-79.
Finding itself trailing by one at the break, North Carolina could not get into a flow in the third quarter as Oklahoma ran off to score 31.
Five Tar Heels rattled off double-digits in scoring, including Achol Akot, Kate Harpring and Gabby White scoring 10+ in their UNC debuts.
Akot was all over the glass with eight rebounds, joining Sophie Burrows to lead UNC with eight boards apiece. Burrows showed her strengths as a defender with a team-high four steals against the Sooners.
TAKING ON NO. 1
The Tar Heels take on the No. 1 ranked team for the seventh time under Banghart and for the 36th time overall on Sunday evening.
UNC last knocked off the No. 1 team in the land in 2019, defeating the then No. 1 ranked Notre Dame, 78-73 in Chapel Hill.
Overall, North Carolina has beaten three teams ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, and has yet to do so on a neutral court.
TAR HEELS AGAINST THE SEC
Against SEC teams, Carolina owns 42 wins all-time.Â
Under Banghart, Carolina is 3-7 against SEC teams, with its last win against the league coming in the 2024 SEC/ACC Challenge against Kentucky, 72-53.
STARTING OFF STRONG
Wasting no time, Carolina is testing itself early with back-to-back matchups against Power 4 teams to kick off the season.
Opening with two SEC teams, Carolina starts the season with two straight power conference foes for the first time since 1989-90.
Monday's season opener was the first against a Power 4 opponent since Carolina met UCLA at a neutral site to begin the 1999-00 season.
The month of November is set to be packed for Carolina, with four games against power conference teams.
Including the Big East, it marks the most games against high-powered conference teams in the month of November since 2018.
KATE HOLDING COURT
In her collegiate debut, Kate Harpring showed that she's here to play, with the freshman dropping a team-high 21 points against Oklahoma.
Harpring is the only Tar Heel freshman to post 20 or more points in their UNC debut in statistics dating back through the 2002-03 season.
Shooting 9-of-26 from the floor, Harpring's attempts also tie for the most by a single player in the Courtney Banghart era.
PASS THE BALL
The Tar Heels shared the ball at a high rate Monday night, dishing out 22 assists on 29 made field goals in the season opener against Oklahoma.
Reniya Kelly led this charge with a career-high seven assists, while eight Tar Heels dished out at least one assist.
BROOKS LETTING IT FLY
There's no doubt that Nyla Brooks loves the three ball, asserting herself as one of the Atlantic Coast Conference's top three-point shooters in her freshman campaign.
Last season, Brooks averaged a total of 63 triples to lead the league among rookies.
Draining two triples in Monday's season opener, Brooks is currently riding a 14 game streak with a made three for a career long.
EARLY SEASON TESTS
Monday's meeting against the No. 21 Sooners was the earliest game in program history against a ranked opponent.
Prior to the meeting against Oklahoma, the earliest the Tar Heels faced a ranked opponent was Nov. 11, 2013 against No. 23 UCLA and Nov. 11, 2007 against No. 12 Arizona State.
Sunday's meeting against No. 1 South Carolina is also Carolina's earliest meeting against the nation's top ranked team and its third in program history in the month of November.
As a program, Carolina is 17-14 against ranked teams in the month of November and 2-5 under Banghart.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
Under Banghart, the Tar Heels are 23-35 overall against AP Top-25 teams.
Last season, North Carolina earned two wins over ranked teams with victories against then No. 12 Duke and No. 17 Maryland.
To date, Carolina has six ranked foes remaining this season, including two throughout the non-conference slate including South Carolina, and LSU.
All-time, Carolina is 60-85 against ranked foes on a neutral floor.
KEEP AN EYE OUT - WATCHLIST TRACKER
Earning national acclaim, both Achol Akot and Ciera Toomey found themselves earning spots on Naismith Starting 5 Award Watchlists.
Coming off a breakout season at Oklahoma State, Akot was named to the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Watch List after posting 12.4 points and 7.2 rebounds as a junior.
The Honorable Mention All-Big 12 player shot 63.3% from the floor last season to rank sixth nationally.
The development of Toomey in Chapel Hill has been undeniable, with her play earning her a slot on the Preseason Watch List for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award.
Carolina's leading returning scorer and rebounder from last year, Toomey averaged 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 2025-26. Her 53 blocks last season were the most by a Tar Heel in a single season since 2023-24.
HERE COMES CAROLINA
The Tar Heels are back in action for the 2026-27 campaign and the eighth in the Courtney Banghart era.
A stacked non-conference schedule awaits with multiple high profile tests against Oklahoma, South Carolina, a visit to Penn and the Palestra, Texas Tech and Alabama at the WBCA Challenge, as well as LSU in Chapel Hill for the SEC/ACC Challenge.
Coming off of back-to-back Sweet 16s, Carolina brings back eight returners from last season's regional semifinalist squad.
The growth of the Tar Heels under Banghart is a sight to be seen, with multiple program-noteworthy numbers set last season.Â
Rattling off 14 ACC wins, Carolina reached the victory total in league play to match the best since the 2012-13 season and tie for the second most in program history.
Carolina's 28 wins during the 2025-26 campaign rank in the top-10 in the Tar Heel record book in a single-season.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS
Winning is a tradition at North Carolina, with the Tar Heels reaching the 20-win threshold for the past five seasons, matching Carolina's longest streaks from the 2010-11 through the 2014-15 seasons.
Overall, Carolina owns 34 20-win campaigns.
This success translates to the postseason, with the Tar Heels coming off of back-to-back Sweet 16's for its third in the last five seasons.
The Tar Heels are one of 10 programs in the nation to reach the last two Regional Semifinals and one of 13 to reach three of the last five.
ACC ACCLAIM
After a 14-4 record against Atlantic Coast Conference teams last season to finish third, Carolina was once again picked to repeat the mark in the league's preseason poll.
In the last two seasons, Carolina has either surpassed or met its predicted order of finish in the preseason predictor.
Kate Harpring tallied 493 votes to lead freshmen on the ACC Preseason All-Freshmen team as voted on by the league's coaches and media.
Carolina has now had a rookie earn a spot on the ACC Preseason All-Freshman team in back-to-back seasons, with Nyla Brooks picking up the honor last year.
PRESEASON POLLS
For the third straight season, the Tar Heels found themselves ranked in the top 15 of both the 2026-27 Preseason AP Poll and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll.
In the AP Poll, Carolina came in at No. 12 and No. 11 in the Coaches Poll.
Remaining consistently ranked last season, Carolina peaked at No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 8 in the Coaches Poll.
THERE'S ONLY ONE NYLA BROOKS
Coming off a breakout freshman season, Nyla Brooks is ready to run it back for year two in Chapel Hill.
The DMV native earned ACC All-Freshman team honors, while appearing in all 36 games last season. The guard posted double-figure scoring outings in 18 games, with five of those coming in ACC Games.
Brooks' 63 triples were the most by any Carolina rookie since the 2015-16 season as she led the ACC among freshmen in threes made.
Not only does Brooks' play make plenty of noise on the court, but the sophomore is poised to make a fashion statement as she hopes to bring the long shorts style back to basketball.
CT ON THE RISE
Entering her fourth year in Chapel Hill, the development of Ciera Toomey has been undeniable for the 6-4 forward.
As the leading returning scorer and rebounder on the 2025-26 team, Toomey averaged 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest last season.
Sitting out her first season due to injury, Toomey's development from her second to third year is all in the numbers, with her scoring increasing by 175% in her first two years on the court.
A force around the rim, Toomey racked up a total of 53 blocks last season for the most by a Tar Heel since 2023-24. Her team-high 1.5 rejections per game ranked fourth overall in the ACC.
TELL A FRIEND, RENIYA KELLY IS BACK
After missing the latter half of her junior season due to injury, the 2024-25 All-ACC Second Team guard Reniya Kelly is poised for her senior season.Â
Selected as one of two captains alongside Sydney Barker, Kelly is looking to get back into a groove as she was hitting her stride in ACC play last season.
Kelly tallied four double-figure scoring outings as a junior, all against ACC foes.
She put on a show with a career-high performance in North Carolina's win over Miami with 24 points. Kelly owns four 20-piece performances throughout her three seasons in Chapel Hill.
Off the court, Kelly recently launched a Christian clothing brand in the last year called SALOE.
RUNNING DEEPÂ
Depth proved to be a key factor throughout Carolina's 28 wins last season, with the Tar Heels averaging 23.6 points per game from their reserves to rank third in the league.
Nyla Brooks was a key part of this, yet relied on help from Laila Hull, Taissa Queiroz, Jordan Zubich, Blanca Thomas, and Sydney Barker.
Hull appeared in 31 games in her third season in Chapel Hill, knocking down 32 threes at a 34.0% clip from beyond the arc.
After enrolling early in the Spring of 2025, Queiroz finally hit the court for the Tar Heels and showed glimpses of her strength. This past summer, the Belo Horizonte, Brazil, native spent time with her national team to help them qualify for the 2027 Women's AmeriCup.
Zubich came in off the bench in 17 games and proved to be a knockdown threat with 10 made threes at a 32.3% rate.
After a strong freshman campaign where she racked up 115 rebounds, Thomas played in 20 games last season as a sophomore. She put on a career-high performance against UNCW by matching her previous best with eight points.
A former walk-on placed on scholarship at the end of her freshman year, Barker provides a burst of energy anytime she steps on the court. She knocked down a lone triple last season in Carolina's win over SMU.
PORTAL PICKUPS
Banghart and Co. wasted no time when the portal opened, scouring the nation for some of the best talent to bring in four players with Power 4 conference experience.
Following a career-best season at Oklahoma State, Achol Akot chose to head east and spend her senior season in Carolina Blue.
The forward started in all 34 games last season for the Cowgirls, averaging 12.4 points per game en route to earning Honorable Mention All-Big 12. Shooting 63.3%, Akot ranked second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage.
Spending three years in the ACC at Syracuse, Sophie Burrows chose to hit the portal and grow her game in Chapel Hill. With the Orange, Burrows posted back-to-back seasons averaging double-figures in scoring.
A strong defender, Burrows also swiped an average of 1.94 steals per game to rank eighth overall in the ACC.
Excelling on and off the court, Burrows was also named the league's 2026 Kay Yow Award Winner.
Another veteran guard, Chloe Clardy earned her degree from Stanford in three years and chose to continue her playing career at Carolina with two years of eligibility remaining.
Appearing in 98 games for the Cardinal over three seasons, Clardy posted the best season of her career as a junior with 12.0 points per game.
A tenacious defender, Clardy paced Stanford in steals and ranked fifth in the ACC with 2.03 swipes per game.
There's no place like home, and after spending her freshman season at Virginia, Gabby White chose to return to her hometown of Chapel Hill and suit up for the Tar Heels.
Playing in 34 games for UVA as a rookie, White was a member of a Cavalier squad that reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000. The guard posted eight games in double-figure scoring, while averaging 6.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Two highly touted freshmen enter the fold for the Tar Heels with the addition of Noelle Bofia and Kate Harpring to provide youthful energy for Carolina.
Ranked as the No. 52 overall prospect by ESPN out of Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix, Bofia graduated from high school early to practice with the Tar Heels this past spring.
Bofia led Xavier Prep to its first AIA Girls Open Arizona state title as a sophomore, and followed up the next season as a junior with a team-high 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game.
Touted as the No. 1 player in the Class of 2026 by 247Sports, Harpring begins her collegiate career following an illustrious prep career at the Marist School.
The 2026 Naismith Girls' High School Player of the Year, Harpring led Marist to back-to-back Georgia 4A State Titles while cementing herself as the Georgia all-time leading scorer with 3,435 career points.
PREPPING FOR MARCH
The Tar Heels have seen the value in early-season tests to prepare for the gauntlet that is the 18-game schedule in ACC play as well as preparation for the NCAA Tournament.
Carolina is set to go head-to-head against five programs that reached the NCAA Tournament last season throughout its non-conference slate, with four of those games coming in November.
Oklahoma - 2026 Sweet 16
South Carolina - 2026 National Runner-Up
Texas Tech - 2026 Second Round
Alabama - 2026 Second Round
LSU - 2026 Sweet 16
WINNING STARTS AT THE TOP
Under Banghart's leadership, the Tar Heels have rattled off at least 20 wins in each of the last five seasons.
Banghart's 57 victories over the last two seasons are the most among ACC coaches.
MILESTONE WATCH
ACHOL AKOT
- 149 career assists - one away from 150
SOPHIE BURROWS
- 866 career points - 134 away from 1000
CHLOE CLARDY
- 197 career assists - three away from 200
CIERA TOOMEY
- 291 career rebounds - nine away from 300
LEAGUED HER
Selected 28th overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream, Indya Nivar joined the long lineage of Tar Heels in the league this past offseason.
Nivar appeared in 23 games over her rookie campaign, as the Dream went on to reach the 2026 WNBA Finals.
WHAT'S NEXT
There's no place like home as the Tar Heels finally return to Chapel Hill for their home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 11 against NC Central.
North Carolina looks to remain undefeated in home openers under Banghart, taking on the Eagles at 7 p.m. ET on ACCNX.
