UNC women’s basketball ready to add to school’s March Madness lore

North Carolina’s Nyla Harris sat at a dais for a pre-NCAA women’s basketball tournament media session answering questions, including a rapid recital of the program’s proud tradition.

“Nineteen Sweet Sixteens, seven Elite Eights, three Final Fours and one national championship.”

She, obviously, hopes to add to the list as the fourth-seeded Tar Heels (26-7) host first- and second-round games for a second straight year. UNC faces No. 13 seed Western Illinois (26-5) at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Carmichael Arena.

It’s the second game of a double-header that opens with No. 5 Maryland (23-8) and No. 12 Murray State (31-3) at 3 p.m. The winners meet on Sunday at Carmichael with the time to be announced.

The way Harris beamed, you’d think the first-team All-ACC choice grew up watching the Tar Heels with her parents and grandparents. As if she knew Tar Heels lore of Charlotte Smith hitting a game-winning shot at the buzzer to clinch the 1994 NCAA title game.

But that’s not the case.

The 6-foot-2 senior transfer from Louisville by way of Orlando, Florida, is enjoying is her first experience playing NCAA games representing the host team. That’s why she was beaming as a part of a season averaging 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds a game in her only UNC season.

“I love Carmichael,” Harris said. “I love playing here. So, getting the opportunity to play two more games here is huge. I was watching last year, seeing when they hosted and how packed Carmichael was. It was just electric.”

This season marks the 14th time the NCAA named North Carolina as a first- and second-round host. North Carolina’s women are 24-1 in all-time NCAA games played at Carmichael. A year ago, UNC swept Oregon State (70-49) and West Virginia (58-47) in the first two rounds.

Harris’ enthusiasm underscores North Carolina’s women success converting Carmichael to their own identity from the former home of Dean Smith and Michael Jordan. The arena opened in 1965, and UNC’s men moved to the Dean Smith Center in 1986, two years after Jordan’s college career ended.

Harris sheepishly admitted she didn’t know Jordan played at Carmichael until she had been on campus for about three months, but that also demonstrates Carmichael has adopted a separate identity.

North Carolina senior guard Indya Nivar grew up in the Tar Heels’ backyard as North Carolina’s Miss Basketball and a McDonald’s High School All-American at Apex Friendship, a campus 34 miles from Chapel Hill. The 5-10 Nivar, who was named second-team All-ACC and All-Defense, paused as she reflected on what the past three years meant to her after playing her freshman year at Stanford.

“Yeah, long journey,” she said. “Looking back at that, I was young. Choosing Stanford felt like the right choice at that time. But time shows maybe somewhere else was a little bit better. I’m glad that I as able to have the opportunity to transfer back home, to be around family, somewhere I trust and have a lot of loyalty and honest relationships with the coaches.”

Her all-around game features the second triple-double in program history with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 steals against South Dakota State, which also opens NCAA tournament play on Friday as a No. 11 seed against No. 6 Washington in Fort Worth, Texas.

For the season, Nivar averages 10.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals. Her 86 steals this season topped her 68 mark a year ago that was the most since UNC coach Courtney Banghart took over the program eight seasons ago.

Western Illinois and Lindenwood shared the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title with 16-4 marks, but the Leathernecks won the conference tournament title to earn their first NCAA bid since 2017. In Western Illinois’ lone game against a Power 4 Conference opponent, the Leathernecks fell on November 26 to Big Ten regular-season runner-up Iowa, 86-69.

Mia Nicastro, a 6-2 senior forward, is fourth in the nation in total points (749) and the leading scorer among mid-major players. She averages 24.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists. She scored a career-high 37 points on January 17 against Arkansas Little Rock. In the conference tournament final against Lindenwood, she posted a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Banghart praised her team for coming together at midseason to win 13 of its last 15 games and thus earn NCAA home dates.

“I think what people want our good teams,” Banghart said. “Whether you play on the moon or Chapel Hill, they want good teams. Whatever we can do to maintain good teams, that’s my job. I’ll do that whether it’s on the moon or Chapel Hill.”