What we’ve learned about UNC women’s basketball through three games
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Young roster produces inconsistent stretches yet generates transition points.
- Guard depth provides multiple initiators and boosts fast-break and assists.
- Frontcourt adds size and versatility but still concedes paint points to elites.
Through its first three games, North Carolina (2-1) has looked exactly like coach Courtney Banghart said it would: The Tar Heels have one of the youngest teams in the country. In the preseason, Banghart stated her team was the eighth-youngest team in the nation, with an average age of 19.
In a 78-60 loss to No. 3 UCLA on Thursday night, that youth surfaced in predictable ways — stretches of inconsistency, lapses on defense and moments when the game seemed to run faster than this squad was ready for.
But this team’s upside was just as clear. The Tar Heels had long stretches where their energy, pace and defensive pressure bothered UCLA — especially in the first half when UNC forced turnovers and pushed the ball in transition.
After opening the season with a neutral-site exhibition game against No. 2 South Carolina, this tilt in Las Vegas against another top-3 team was difficult by design.
“They’re long, they’re deep,” Banghart said of UCLA after the Tar Heels’ loss Thursday. “They’re very experienced, and they’ve gone through a lot of things, which means that, when there’s game pressure, there’s a little bit more confidence and assuredness. We’re still sort of gonna learn through game pressure.”
As Banghart has emphasized multiple times, there’s been a whole lot of learning happening with this young squad so far. Here’s what we’ve gleaned from the Tar Heels’ early contests:
1. Ball-handlers everywhere — and real, playable depth
One of the most notable differences from last year is that UNC has more guards who can initiate offense.
Senior guard Indya Nivar said after the team’s 71-37 win over Elon on Nov. 6 that North Carolina’s added flexibility is already changing the way she plays. With more ball-handlers on the floor, her teammates can push the pace and kick the ball ahead in transition to Nivar.
That’s allowed Nivar to better attack before defenses get set — the exact environment where she thrives as a downhill driver.
“A lot of people can start the offense,” Nivar said on Nov. 6. “We don’t have to have just Reniya [Kelly] start it. I can start it, [Lanie Grant] can start it, so it just gives us a lot of flexibility.”
Against the Bruins, Kelly dished out four assists in a season-high 22 minutes. Nivar also had four assists, while UCLA transfer Elina Aarnisalo added three. North Carolina scored eight fast break points and 11 points off turnovers in that contest.
UNC’s guard depth is going to pay off as ACC play begins, especially in a league defined by elite backcourt play.
2. Aarnisalo is an immediate-impact addition
Aarnisalo showed her ability to impact this Tar Heels squad by dropping a team-high 13 points — including eight in the first quarter — on six made field goals against her former team.
“Of course I was a little bit more nervous than for a regular game, but as the game started, it’s [just] a basketball game,” Aarnisalo said Thursday. “I’ve done this for my whole life.”
Aarnisalo, a Helsinki, Finland, native who speaks four languages, plays with a similar international flair — a game marked by versatility, creativity and a comfort.
Or, as teammate Nyla Brooks put it, Aarnisalo is a “bucket.”
“She be throwing me them sniper passes in practice… [we got] that team chemistry,” Brooks said last month. “She be finding me in the corner over there ready to shoot that three. Coming from the [2025] UCLA team from the Final Four — she’s gonna add some really good experience to our team.”
3. The Toomey–Harris frontcourt offers something new
North Carolina’s frontcourt looks nothing like it did a year ago.
Senior Nyla Harris joined the Tar Heels from Louisville this offseason and plays with experience, knowledge and a high motor on both ends of the court. Redshirt sophomore forward Ciera Toomey has been hampered by injuries since arriving in Chapel Hill, but is now back in full force. Toomey stretches the floor and cleans the glass with improved physicality.
Together, they should give the Tar Heels more versatility than last year’s Alyssa Ustby/Maria Gakdeng pairing.
But Thursday also showed where the growth still needs to happen. UCLA’s size (namely center Lauren Betts) and polish (especially on middle ball screens) exposed some of the mismatches UNC may face against elite teams.
Toomey and Harris battled, but ultimately allowed 46 points in the paint. Having Blanca Thomas back from injury and getting her more experience will help, as will tough tests like this one against the Bruins.
“We just got to keep getting better,” Banghart said Thursday. “With a young team, it’s not going to happen in the first month. We knew that… but I know this group, and I know they’ll continue to push to get better and better.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2025 at 12:26 PM.