2026-27 UNC Women’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule Breakdown

Last week, the Carolina women's basketball program released the non-league portion of the 2026-27 schedule, a 14-game slate to complement the soon-to-be-announced ACC portion of the docket. As one of just 10 programs to qualify for consecutive Sweet 16s, Carolina has assembled another quality non-conference lineup that will position the Tar Heels to contend to host in the NCAA Tournament once more, and run the Sweet 16 streak to three years.

A few broad notes:

14 total games, nine at home: the NCAA enacted a rule change for the 2026-27 season increasing the number of permissible regular season games to 32, regardless of participation in any multi-team event (MTE). With 18 ACC games, Carolina could play up to 14 non-conference games, and the Tar Heels are using the full complement of game opportunities. The nine home games – a byproduct of having the SEC-ACC Challenge game at home and just one multi-game neutral site event this season instead of last year's two – give Carolina 18 total home games for the season, the most since 2017-18 (19).
Quality power conference opposition early: It's one thing to play five fellow "Power Four" opponents in the first 10 games of the season, but it's another when you consider that all five teams won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament last season, three joined the Tar Heels in the Sweet 16 (Oklahoma, South Carolina, LSU), and South Carolina advanced to the National Championship Game. It's the first time since 2022-23 that Carolina has played five fellow Power Four teams in the regular season non-conference portion of the year.
Big Stages, Classic Venues: Carolina will partake in a trio of neutral site events in Paris (Oui Play), Charlotte (Ally Tipoff), and Orlando (WBCA Showcase), all of which are sure to draw the attention of the women's basketball world with some of November's best action. Additionally, Carolina will visit the historic Palestra in Philadelphia for the first time for a women's basketball game.
Home for Thanksgiving and December: Carolina fans will have the chance to see their team at Carmichael Arena on three separate occasions during Thanksgiving week. That includes a second Black Friday home game in three years – the 2024 Black Friday game against North Carolina Central was that year's most-attended non-conference game outside of the SEC-ACC Challenge game against Kentucky. While the ACC has the potential to add a game or two of the league slate in December prior to Santa's big day, it's a pretty safe bet that Carolina will have at least a six-game homestand from Nov. 24-Dec. 9, the longest homestand for the program since 2017-18 (10 games).

Now, let's take it game-by-game:

Nov. 2: vs. Oklahoma (Oui Play, Adidas Arena, Paris, France)
2025-26 Record: 26-8, 11-5 SEC (Lost in SEC Quarterfinals vs. LSU, 112-78; Lost in NCAA Sweet 16 vs. South Carolina, 94-68) – NET 14
Series History: UNC leads, 3-2
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 61-52, in Charlotte on Dec. 19, 2023
Coach Banghart Record: UNC leads, 1-0

The Tar Heels open their 2026-27 season with the program's first-ever regular season game in Europe, becoming the fifth ACC team to play in the Oui Play event since its inception in 2023. And with a marquee event in game one, it's far from a soft launch for Carolina. Coupled with game two against South Carolina, the Tar Heels will play consecutive games against power conference foes to start the season for the first time since 1988, when Carolina opened with Washington and Illinois in a tournament in Hawai'i. Oklahoma (No. 24 in ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top 25) provides the opposition on Nov. 2, a Sooners program that has resided in the same national neighborhood as Carolina for the last several years – a constant presence in the Top 25 and a back-to-back Sweet 16 participant. Head Coach Jennie Baranczyk enters her sixth season in Norman, having won at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of her first five seasons after arriving from Drake in 2021. Baranczyk's 2026-27 Sooners will be a new-look squad, having to replace All-SEC First Team selection F Raegan Beers (15.8 PPG/10.4 RPG) and two other starters in G Zya Vann and G Payton Verhulst. That being said, leading scorer G Aaliyah Chavez returns for her sophomore campaign, coming off an All-SEC Second Team and All-Freshman Team selection where she averaged 18.4 PPG. Incoming transfers include F/C Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu (8.0 PPG at Maryland), C Sa'Myah Smith (7.9 PPG at Virginia) and W Jordan Speiser (10.2 PPG at Kansas State) – all of whom faced Carolina last season. The Tar Heels pulled out a win in a competitive game at the 2023 Jumpman Invitational in the last meeting between these two, and this year's Paris game should be no different.

Nov. 8: vs. South Carolina (Ally Tipoff, Spectrum Center, Charlotte)
2025-26 Record: 36-4, 15-1 SEC (Lost in SEC Championship vs. Texas, 78-61; Lost in NCAA Championship Game vs. UCLA, 79-51) – NET 3
Series History: South Carolina leads, 11-10
Last Meeting: South Carolina wins, 88-41, in NCAA Tournament Second Round in Columbia, S.C. on Mar. 24, 2024
Coach Banghart Record: South Carolina leads, 3-0

Counting last season's exhibition game in Atlanta (which didn't count in historical records, obviously), Carolina will play South Carolina for the fifth time in a five-season span (the teams played twice in 2023-24). This year's regular season game will be the Tar Heels' first appearance in the Ally Tipoff in Charlotte, an event that began in 2023 at the Spectrum Center. After a one-year absence from the home of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets after the conclusion of the Jumpman Invitational, Carolina will visit the building twice this year (the ACC Tournament will be held there in March). South Carolina, under now 19^th-year Head Coach Dawn Staley, has lost back-to-back National Championship Games, and figures to be a favorite to return to the Final Four with a No. 1 ranking in ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top 25. All-SEC First Team F Joyce Edwards, the team's leading scorer at 19.2 PPG, returns to lead the Gamecocks into 2026-27, and she will be joined in the frontcourt by a pair of players returning after missing the entirety of last season in Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins. Second Team All-SEC G Tessa Johnson returns with her 12.8 PPG and 44.8% three-point percentage. Newcomers are headlined by transfer G Jordan Lee (13.2 PPG at Texas – including 22 vs. Carolina last December) and F Oliviyah Edwards (No. 3 prospect in ESPN SportsCenter NEXT 100).

Nov. 11: North Carolina Central (Carmichael Arena)
2025-26 Record: 9-20, 5-9 MEAC (Lost in MEAC Quarterfinals vs. Coppin State, 70-52) – NET 316
Series History: UNC leads, 9-0
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 90-42, in Chapel Hill on Nov. 3, 2025
Coach Banghart Record: UNC leads, 3-0

North Carolina Central will be the first of three teams to visit Carmichael Arena for a second consecutive season, and it's in fact the third straight season that the Eagles trek the roughly 12 miles from their campus in southeast Durham. Carolina will be looking to improve their all-time record against NC Central to 10-0 and win an 8^th home opener in as many tries under Courtney Banghart, and win a 49^th home opener in 53 seasons as a program. Olivia Gaines enters her first season as NC Central's head coach, jumping up to the Division I level from Allen University of Division II. Gaines led Allen to a 36-19 mark in two seasons, following stints as an assistant at Georgia Southern and a junior college head coach. As a player, Gaines appeared in 67 games over two seasons at South Carolina in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Her first NC Central team lose the top four scorers from a year ago, but is projected to return G Aysia Hinton, who scored 6.5 PPG in 10 starts (29 games played).

Nov. 14: at Penn (Philadelphia, PA)
2025-26 Record: 17-10, 7-7 Ivy League (Did not qualify for four-team Ivy League Tournament) – NET 113
Series History: First Meeting
Coach Banghart Record: Coach Banghart leads, 19-8
Last Meeting: Princeton wins, 65-54, in Ivy League Championship Game in New Haven, Conn. on Mar. 17, 2019

For the first time as Carolina's head coach, Courtney Banghart will take her Tar Heels on the road to one of her old Ivy League rivals – Penn. The trip the historic Palestra will be Carolina's first women's basketball game in the building, and sixth overall Carolina basketball game – the Tar Heel men defeated Penn twice in 1948 and 2007, won two NCAA Tournament games in the famed 1957 run, and also won a road game against La Salle in 1987. Carolina women's basketball's most recent (and only documented) road game against an Ivy League foe came on Dec. 2, 1989, a 71-69 loss to Princeton. Penn is led by three-time Ivy League Coach of the Year Mike McLaughlin, entering his 17^th season on the sidelines for the Quakers. Coach McLaughlin and Coach Banghart were fierce foes in the mid-2010s, with both teams qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and Penn denying Princeton an NCAA berth with Ivy championships in 2014 and 2017. While Penn hasn't qualified for the NCAA Tournament since, they have enjoyed a winning record in all but one season. Headed into 2026-27, Penn will be led by F Katie Collins, a Second Team All-Ivy League pick who led the team in scoring at 13.0 PPG and rebounding at 7.6 RPG. Two other starters return in C Tina Njike (8.9 PPG/6.3 RPG) and G Mataya Gayle (12.4 PPG/4.5 APG). Penn hung its hat on defense last season, ranking top 30 nationally at just 57.9 PPG allowed and 37.1% opponent field goal percentage.

Nov. 19: vs. Texas Tech (WBCA Showcase, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Kissimmee, FL)
2025-26 Record: 26-8, 12-6 Big XII (Lost in Big XII Second Round vs. Kansas State, 58-51; Lost in NCAA Second Round at LSU, 101-47) – NET 32
Series History: First Meeting
Coach Banghart Record: First Meeting

Texas Tech burst onto the national scene in 2025-26, returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. A 57-52 win over Villanova in the NCAA Tournament First Round was just one of several memorable moments for the Red Raiders last season, a year that included a 19-0 start, a regular season sweep of in-state rival Baylor (the Bears were ranked No. 15 for both games), and a win over then-No. 12 TCU. Now, the Red Raiders try to back up the breakthrough season under seventh-year Head Coach Krista Gerlich, a player on the school's 1993 National Championship team (the year before Carolina's title in 1994). G Bailey Maupin headed off to the pros after leading the team at 15.2 PPG (First Team All-Big 12), and G Snudda Collins (14.4 PPG, Second Team All-Big 12) is also out of eligibility. G Jalynn Bristow is the top returning scorer at 10.4 PPG. Key newcomers for the Red Raiders include F Rhema Collins, the CUSA Player of the Year at Florida International (17.0 PPG), All-Mountain West G Destinee Hicks (13.4 PPG at New Mexico), and G Jalayah Ingram (16.9 PPG at UTRGV).

Nov. 21: vs. Alabama (WBCA Showcase, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Kissimmee, FL)
2025-26 Record: 24-11, 7-9 SEC (Lost in SEC Quarterfinals vs. Texas, 83-60; Lost in NCAA Second Round at Louisville, 69-68) – NET 24
Series History: UNC leads, 6-5
Last Meeting: Alabama wins, 80-71, in NCAA Tournament First Round in San Antonio, Tex. On Mar. 22, 2021
Coach Banghart Record: Alabama leads, 2-1

It's a new era for Alabama in 2026-27, as Pauline Love takes over as head coach. Coach Love, the associate head coach at Oklahoma last season, was a Crimson Tide assistant under former Head Coach Kristy Curry (now at South Florida) in 2024-25. Love takes over a program that has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive seasons, and won a game in the event in three straight seasons. Each of the last two years, Alabama has been agonizingly close to the Sweet 16, falling in double overtime at Maryland in 2025 and falling by a single point at Louisville in 2026. All five starters from that Louisville game are gone, with F Naomi Jones (4.7 PPG, 13 starts) the most significant returning contributor in Tuscaloosa. G Ace Austin (7.0 PPG in 32 games off the bench) is also back. Nine transfers join the program, headlined by all-conference picks in G Paris Bradley (14.8 PPG at Louisiana Tech) and W Brooke Coffey (13.5 PPG at Lindenwood).

Nov. 24: Gardner-Webb (Carmichael Arena)
2025-26 Record: 12-19, 9-7 Big South (Lost in Big South Quarterfinals vs. Winthrop, 64-52) – NET 327
Series History: UNC leads, 4-1
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 102-49, in Chapel Hill on Nov. 8, 2023
Coach Banghart Record: UNC leads, 1-0

Gardner-Webb makes its first visit to Carmichael Arena since 2023, with Terri Williams bringing her Runnin' Bulldogs northeast from Cleveland County. Coach Williams is a longtime head coach, leading Georgetown to three NCAA Tournaments and a Sweet 16 from 2004-12, and Auburn to three NCAA Tournaments from 2012-21. Her first Gardner-Webb team in 2025-26 won 12 games, the most for the program since the 2022-23 team won the Big South and lost at Utah in the NCAA First Round. Six of those 12 wins a year ago came on January 30^th or later, a late-season surge that demonstrated inaugural season growth for the first-year bench boss in Boling Springs, earning her Co-Coach of the Year in the Big South. The key to success for Gardner-Webb a season ago was forcing turnovers, with 19.9 per game ranking in the top 40 nationally, and 10.5 steals per game just outside the top 40 in the national ranks. F Amira Ofunniyin is the top returning contributor at 7.2 PPG and 6.2 RPG.

Nov. 27: Army (Carmichael Arena)
2025-26 Record: 26-8, 14-4 Patriot (Lost in Patriot Semifinals at Holy Cross, 61-55; Lost in WNIT Quarterfinals at Marshall, 82-65) – NET 122
Series History: First Meeting
Coach Banghart Record: First Meeting
A heartbreaking loss in the Patriot League Semifinals ended the Black Knights' hopes at a first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 in their first season under Head Coach Katie Kuester. Now, they'll re-load with G Camryn Tade (All-Patriot League First Team, 12.9 PPG) and F Kya Smith (All-Patriot League Second Team, 13.7 PPG/10.2 RPG) returning. Two other starters, sisters G Brooke Wilson and G/F Taylor Wilson, return. Army's success was fueled by lockdown defense, allowing only 55.9 PPG to lead the Patriot League and rank 13^th nationally. This is a quality test at home for the Tar Heels on the day after Thanksgiving and a chance at a win that will carry some weight beyond power confidence wins on Carolina's resume.

Nov. 29: Brown (Carmichael Arena)
2025-26 Record: 16-11, 8-6 Ivy League (Lost in Ivy League Semifinals vs. Princeton, 65-51) – NET 127
Series History: First Meeting
Coach Banghart Record: Coach Banghart leads, 22-2
Last Meeting: Princeton wins, 88-68, in Providence, R.I. on Mar. 8, 2019

The second of two Ivy League foes on the Carolina schedule, Brown comes south for a homecoming game for a pair of their players. G Olivia Young is a three-year starter who hails from Durham and Cardinal Gibbons High School and will enjoy the chance to play near her home in her senior season for the Bears. Additionally, freshman W Summer Lee is a native of Carrboro and Carrboro High School. Young (7.4 PPG) is Brown's leading returning scorer off a 16-win team that matched the highest win total in the five completed seasons in the tenure of Head Coach Monique LeBlanc. Much like Penn and Army earlier in the non-league slate, Brown was an elite defensive team last season – allowing only 56.8 PPG to rank 19^th nationally. By holding opponents to 35.7% from the floor, Brown led the Ivy League and was No. 10 in the nation.

Dec. 2: LSU (Carmichael Arena)
2025-26 Record: 29-6, 12-4 SEC (Lost in SEC Semifinals vs. South Carolina, 83-77; Lost in NCAA Sweet 16 vs. Duke, 87-85) – NET 5
Series History: LSU leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: LSU wins, 70-43, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Dec. 18, 2016
Coach Banghart Record: First Meeting

The marquee home game of the non-conference schedule takes place against LSU in the SEC-ACC Challenge. It's just the fourth all-time meeting between the two teams, and first in Carmichael Arena. LSU has been a national power under now sixth-year Head Coach Kim Mulkey, going 151-26 in her tenure with a 2023 National Championship highlighting postseason play. Since that title, LSU has returned to the Sweet 16 in each season, reaching two Elite Eights. This year's Tigers team is projected to contend once again, ranked No. 10 in ESPN Way-Too-Early Top 25, one spot behind the Tar Heels. While Flau'jae Johnson is gone to the WNBA with the No. 8 overall pick and is now playing for the Seattle Storm, All-SEC First Team G Mikaylah Williams returns with her 14.2 PPG. That total in Williams' junior season is actually her lowest scoring average of her LSU career, but at 50.7% from the floor, she posted her most efficient shooting season in 2025-26. G MiLaysia Fulwiley will play her second season at LSU after seeing her scoring increase from 11.7 PPG in her two years at South Carolina to 14.6 PPG a year ago. Joining those guards is transfer Jada Williams, First Team All-Big 12 at Iowa State last season (15.3 PPG/7.7 APG). LSU's offense is explosive, averaging 95 PPG last season to lead the nation. At 50.8% shooting, the Tigers ranked third nationally. This game will be one to remember, and Carmichael Arena will be electric on December 2.

Dec. 6: Elon (Carmichael Arena)
2025-26 Record: 16-16, 10-8 CAA (Lost in CAA Quarterfinals vs. Drexel, 68-53) – NET 219
Series History: UNC leads, 13-1
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 71-37, in Chapel Hill on Nov. 6, 2025
Coach Banghart Record: UNC leads, 3-0

For the second straight season and third time in the last four, Carolina legend Charlotte Smith will bring her Elon team over from Alamance County. Smith, whose No. 23 is retired in the Carmichael Arena rafters, hit the game-winning shot in the 1994 National Championship Game to secure Carolina's first title in program history. She then spent nine seasons as a Carolina assistant from 2002-11. Now in season No. 16 on the Elon bench, Smith guided the program to their only two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017 and 2018. Her team's 16 wins last season were the most in a season for Elon since 2021-22 (17), and 10 CAA wins marked the highest win total in league play since 14 in the second CAA championship season in 2018. Junior F LaNae' Corbett returns after being named All-CAA Third Team for a season in which she led the team at 11.4 PPG. Elon is also hoping to return G Jayda Angel, the 2025 CAA Rookie of the Year (9.9 PPG) who suffered a season-ending injury in the Phoenix's game against Carolina last fall.

Dec. 9: Winthrop (Carmichael Arena)
2025-26 Record: 15-17, 7-9 Big South (Lost in Big South Semifinals vs. High Point, 79-63) – NET 304
Series History: UNC leads, 8-0
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 79-29, in Chapel Hill on Jan. 6, 2005
Coach Banghart Record: First Meeting

Winthrop will face the Tar Heels for the ninth time, but first since 2005. This game will mark the annual field trip game, a chance to share the game of basketball with thousands of local (and loud) school children. The visiting Eagles are led by Semeka Randall Lay, who enters her seventh season at the helm of the Rock Hill, S.C. school after previous head coaching stops at Ohio and Alabama A&M. With three straight seasons of 14 or more wins, Coach Randall Lay, a former player at Tennessee and second round WNBA draft pick, has engineered the winningest three-year run for Winthrop since 2013-15. In fact, in the eight years between 2016 and 2023, Winthrop won double-digit games just twice, and never more than 11 wins. The recent run of success includes stingy defense – the Eagles forced over 21 turnovers per game last season to rank No. 15 in the nation. Carolina will have to value the ball to reach 67 points (is that still a thing?) on Field Trip Day. First Team All-Big South W Amourie Porter (16.3 PPG) has transferred to South Florida, but Honorable Mention All-Big South G Madison Ruff (11.2 PPG) returns.

Dec. 21: Norfolk State (Carmichael Arena)
2025-26 Record: 18-15, 11-3 MEAC (Lost in MEAC Championship vs. Howard, 53-46; Lost in WNIT First Round vs. Loyola Chicago, 58-54) – NET 207
Series History: UNC leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 90-47, in Chapel Hill on Dec. 21, 2024
Coach Banghart Record: UNC leads, 1-0

Just like in 2024, a Dec. 21 visit from Norfolk State caps off the pre-Christmas portion of the schedule for the Tar Heels. Jermaine Woods enters his second season as Norfolk State's Head Coach, with the former Wake Forest and Virginia Tech assistant taking the role over from Larry Vickers. Coach Vickers turned three straight MEAC championships into the opportunity to take the Auburn head coaching job in 2025. While Norfolk State's run of MEAC titles ended in Coach Woods' first season, the 2011 NSU alum guided his alma mater to their eighth straight non-pandemic season of double-digit MEAC wins. Keeping with the theme of several of Carolina's mid-major non-league foes, Norfolk State was a strong defensive team a year ago, trailing only UConn in field goal percentage defense at 33.8%. The Spartans also ranked third in three-point defense (25.5%), 10^th in steals per game (12.4), and 21^st in blocks per game (5.0) on the national leaderboard. Individually, MEAC Defensive Player of the Year Jasha Clinton has exhausted her eligibility, and Second Team All-MEAC G Anjanae Richardson (10.4 PPG) transferred to Memphis. G Cire Worley (7.4 PPG/4.8 RPG) is the top returning player for the Spartans, and a pair of double-digit scorers in G Ja'Cia Cunningham (10.8 PPG at Presbyterian) and C Clemisha Prackett (10.8 PPG at Indiana State) bolster the roster from the Transfer Portal.

Dec. 28: UNCW (Carmichael Arena)
2025-26 Record: 7-24, 2-16 CAA (Lost in CAA Second Round vs. Monmouth, 72-61) – NET 325
Series History: UNC leads, 7-0
Last Meeting: UNC wins, 84-34, in Chapel Hill on Dec. 17, 2025
Coach Banghart Record: UNC leads, 4-0

The non-conference schedule concludes with UNCW visiting for the third straight season and fourth in the last five. The Seahawks' visit will be the first post-Christmas regular season non-conference game for Carolina since a Dec. 28, 2019 game against Yale. UNCW's seven wins a year ago marked a step back from a 14-win campaign in 2024-25 (the Seahawks' most wins since 2018-19), but two starters suffered season-ending injuries prior to the start of conference play. Nicole Woods enters her fourth season as UNCW's head coach, following a run at Charlotte as an assistant coach from 2013-22 that saw her overlap with Carolina Associate Head Coach Joanne Aluka-White on Cara Consuegra's staff in the Queen City. G Rori Cox (15.0 PPG, Third Team All-CAA) exhausted her eligibility for UNCW, and with nine transfers off the roster, it's a new-look Seahawks team this year. G Ebbony Wilson (seven appearances off bench) is the only returning player for UNCW.

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2026-27 UNC Women’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule Breakdown

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