NO. 12/10 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (5-1, 0-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Courtney Banghart (Dartmouth, 2000)
Record at North Carolina: 130-65 (7th season)
Career Record: 384-168 (19th season)
RV/RV SOUTH DAKOTA STATE JACKRABBITS
Head Coach: Aaron Johnston (Gustavus Adolphus, 1996)
Record at SDSU: 633-195 (27th season)
Career Record: Same
TIPPING OFF
• Break out the passports as Carolina is headed to the 2025 Cancun Challenge. The Tar Heels return to Mexico for the first time since 2019, where UNC went 2-0.
• The Tar Heels went 3-0 in their last multi-team event, winning the 2024 Battle4Atlantis in the Bahamas. In MTE events under Courtney Banghart, Carolina is 10-2 overall.
• After a career-high night against UNCG, Nyla Brooks picked up the honor as the ACC Freshman of the Week. Brooks posted a career-high 19 points all while going a perfect 7-of-7 from the field and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
• Ciera Toomey also had a career-high night of her own, scoring a personal best 19 points and dishing out four assists against the Spartans.
SCOUTING THE JACKRABBITS
The reigning Summit League champions enter Thursday’s meeting at 5-0, coming off a 72-63 victory over Gonzaga last week.
The Jackrabbits were once again selected to take the Summit League crown in the league’s preseason poll, after going 16-0 in conference action last year.
South Dakota State reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2025, before falling to the eventual national champion in UConn.
Brooklyn Meyer was honored as the league’s preseason player of the year after averaging 18.3 points per game in conference action last season.
The Jackrabbits are shooting the ball at an efficient clip, ranking No. 8 nationally with a field goal percentage of 51.3%.
Currently, South Dakota State is receiving votes in both the AP and Coaches Polls.
SERIES HISTORY VS. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
The Tar Heels and the Jackrabbits meet for the first time in program history on Thursday.
In its lone meeting against a Summit League squad, North Carolina defeated South Dakota 75-69 in 2009 in Chapel Hill.
CAROLINA IN MTE’S
For the second straight season, the Tar Heels grab their passports and head international for their MTE.
Under Banghart, the Tar Heels have claimed four multi-team event titles, the last being in 2024 at the Battle4Atlantis.
In MTE games in the Banghart era, UNC is 10-2 overall.
TAR HEELS IN MEXICO
Returning to Cancun for the first time since 2019, Carolina looks to continue its winning ways in Mexico.
In the first year under Banghart, the Tar Heels defeated Temple and Missouri to go 2-0 in paradise.
LAST TIME OUT
The Tar Heels shots were up and on point against UNCG on Sunday, rolling to a 94-48 victory against the Spartans.
The threes continue to fall for Carolina, knocking down 12 as a squad.
Ciera Toomey’s game keeps on climbing, scoring a career-high 19 points, including a third-quarter scoring burst with 11 points.
Nyla Brooks went 7-of-7 from the field en route to a career-high 18 points. Taliyah Henderson also earned her career-high with 13 points, while Elina Aarnisalo also added 13.
Indya Nivar continues her double-figure scoring streak, adding 10 for her sixth consecutive game in double figures.
SHE’S JUST A FRESHMAN
With the confidence Nyla Brooks brings to the court, she has already asserted herself as one of the nation’s top freshmen.
Posting a performance of perfection against UNCG, Brooks scored a career-high 18 points while shooting 7-of-7 from the field and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Brooks’ outing vs. the Spartans propelled her to earn her first ACC Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 24. She’s the first freshman to pick up the honor for Carolina since the 2023 season. Overall, Carolina leads the ACC with 84 Freshmen of the Week selections.
Her scoring has remained consistent, as she’s the first freshman Tar Heel to score in double figures in five of her first six games since Jocelyn Jones and Janelle Bailey both did so in 2017.
CT’S COMING
The development of Ciera Toomey has been undeniable, as the redshirt-sophomore’s work in the offseason is now shining.
Posting a career-high 19 points against UNCG, Toomey also dished out a career-best four assists.
Toomey’s presence in the paint is assisting Carolina to post an average of 41.6 points per game in the paint.
RIGHT ON TARGET
The shots were falling against UNCG, as Carolina ended up shooting 39-of-59 from the field for a percentage of 66.1%.
This mark ranked No. 2 in a single-game field goal percentage at UNC and holds the record in the Banghart era.
WINNING IS A TRADITION
Throughout the history of North Carolina women’s basketball, it has boasted 30 20-win seasons.
A win on Thursday would give Carolina its 1,100 program victory. The Tar Heels would be the 17th Division I women’s program to reach the mark and the third in the ACC.
DEFENSE ON LOCK
Holding yet another opponent under 50 points in keeping UNCG to 48 points, Carolina has now held 45 points under 50 in the Banghart era.
So far this year, Carolina has held three of its six opponents under 50 points. Last season, UNC held 11 opponents under the mark.
BROOKS LOVES THE DEEP BALL
Making a strong impact during her freshman campaign, Nyla Brooks is proving her prowess from beyond the arc.
She currently leads the Tar Heels with 13 made triples and leads the ACC among freshman with an average of 2.17 per game.
AN EMERGING LEADER
In her final season in Carolina Blue, Indya Nivar is making it count as she has posted double-digits in each outing this year.
The Apex, N.C., native is currently riding a career-long streak of six consecutive games in double-figure scoring.
On the road at N.C. A&T, Nivar scored a season-high 14 points and snagged another season-best with 10 rebounds.
She currently ranks second for Carolina with 11.8 points per game.
Not only is Nivar showing her leadership on the offensive end, but she is also shining on defense. Her 3.3 steals per game rank third in the ACC.
LET IT FLY
The three-ball has been good to the Tar Heels this season, as Carolina has knocked down 53 triples to date.
In the Courtney Banghart era, it’s the most threes drained in the first six games of a season.
Last year, the Tar Heels set a new program record with a total of 269 made threes in 2024-25.
LOCKDOWN FROM DEEP
While the Tar Heels were knocking down triples against N.C. A&T, the Aggies went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Carolina made 12 more three-pointers than its opponent, the largest disparity since 2016.
NO I IN TEAM
In four of its six games, Carolina has posed a balance scoring attack with at least five Tar Heels scoring 10+ points.
Eight different Tar Heels have tallied double-figure outings so far this season, with Indya Nivar scoring 10 or more points in every game.
YOUTH SHINING
A highly recruited freshman class came with expectations, and the group of four has sure delivered.
Through six games, Carolina’s freshmen are averaging 20.0 points per outing. Nyla Brooks is leading the charge, averaging 11.8 points per game.
MAKIN’ ‘EM PAY
Forcing an average of 22.33 turnovers per game to rank No. 3 among ACC teams, the Tar Heels are making the most with their defense.
The Tar Heels are currently averaging 26.0 points per game off their opponents’ miscues and have earned 20 or more in five out of six games.
Carolina cashed in a season-high 40 points off turnovers against UNCG.
ANYONE NEED WINDEX?
Dominant off the boards against NC Central and Elon, Carolina is outrebounding its opponents by a margin of +5.7 this season.
The margin of +28 against NC Central was the highest by Carolina since +36 against Wofford in 2022.
Ciera Toomey is fearless off the boards, snagging 11 rebounds against NC Central and a career-high 12 against Elon.
Toomey is the first Tar Heel since Janelle Bailey in 2019 to record double-figure rebounds in each of the first two games of the season.
ROCKIN’ AND ROLLIN’
The offense wasted no time getting going on against NC Central, with Carolina scoring 90 points for the sixth time in a season opener under Banghart.
The 48-point margin of victory was also the second-best in a season opener under Banghart.
Carolina is now 19-0 under Banghart when scoring 90 or more points.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
With plenty of noise surrounding Nyla Brooks, the true freshman sure delivered on Monday against NC Central. The Waldorf, Md., product led all scorers with 15 points, while shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Brooks became the first freshman to lead Carolina in scoring in its opening game since Deja Kelly scored 19 points against Radford in 2020.
Following up her opening day performance with 10 points against Elon, Brooks continues the streak by Kelly set in 2020.
DOMINATE THE GLASS
The glass was sure kept clean against the Eagles, with the Tar Heels outrebounding NC Central by a margin of +28, with UNC grabbing 48 rebounds.
The feat marked the second best margin by any ACC squad on the opening day of college basketball and No. 15 overall nationally.
Ciera Toomey and Nyla Harris led this charge, with each recording a double-double against NC Central. Toomey tallied a career-high 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Harris added 12 points and 10 boards.
It was the 11th game under Banghart in which two players posted double-doubles.
SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT
Opening the season on a loud note, Carolina packed Carmichael on its Field Trip Day with a total of 6,336 in attendance.
The number broke the attendance record in Carmichael during the Banghart era.
NO PLACE LIKE CARMICHAEL
In the only home in the history of Carolina women’s basketball, the Tar Heels have traditionally held home-court advantage. Carolina is 38-2 under Banghart in home non-conference games and has won 31 straight games against unranked non-conference teams at home.
NEW LOOK, SAME MISSION
Back for year seven with Courtney Banghart at the helm, the Tar Heels bring back eight returners from last season’s Sweet 16 squad.
Despite losing mainstays in Lexi Donarski, Maria Gakdeng, and Alyssa Ustby to graduation, Carolina reloaded with the addition of two transfers and four freshmen.
LOOKING BETTER IN CAROLINA BLUE
Elina Aarnisalo spent one season at UCLA and made a run to the Final Four with the Bruins, before making her way to Chapel Hill. An elite distributor, Aarnisalo averaged 3.4 assists per game to rank 15th among all Division I freshmen last season.
No stranger to the ACC, Nyla Harris chose to spend her final season in Carolina Blue after three seasons at Louisville.
As one of the most efficient shooters in the league the past two years, Harris led the Cardinals from the field as a sophomore and junior. Overall, Harris boasts a 54.2% career field goal percentage.
Regarded as one of the nation’s top forwards, Harris also found herself on the Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Top-20 watch list.
THE FIERCE FRESHMEN
Youth is abundant for the Tar Heels, as Carolina brought in a highly rated freshman class with one international star and three ranked in ESPN’s top 100 for the Class of 2025.
Following two years on the professional circuit in Russia, Moscow native, Liza Astakhova is ready to take her European game to the United States. Joining the Tar Heels in August, Astakhova looks to provide depth after appearing in 39 games last year with the Russia-PBL.
The fifth McDonald’s All-American recruited by Banghart, Nyla Brooks is poised to make some noise in her debut campaign.
Coming out of Bishop Ireton High School, Brooks earned a multitude of honors throughout her prep career. The guard came in as the No. 13 overall prospect in the Class of 2025 by ESPN and picked up honors as the Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Most recently, Brooks was touted as one of ESPN’s Most Impactful Freshmen and was named the first Tar Heel to the ACC Preseason All-Freshman team since 2021.
After missing her senior season of high school due to injury, Taliyah Henderson is ready to make her return to the court. A multi-sport athlete, Henderson proved to be a star on the hardwood and the track at Salpointe Catholic High School in Vail, Arizona.
The guard also boasts international experience, representing Canada at the FIBA U18 Women’s Americup in 2024.
She averaged 9.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, as Canada went on to earn a silver medal at the event.
Graduating early from high school to spend this past spring with Carolina, Taissa Queiroz is prepped to make her debut in Carolina Blue. Spending her high school years at Cardinal Newman in the Bay Area, Queiroz has generated plenty of buzz through representing her home country of Brazil.
This past offseason, Queiroz played with Brazil in two exhibitions against WNBA squads in the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever. She also joined Brazil at the 2025 GloblJam this past summer in Canada, earning a bronze medal.
A TRUE POINT DAWG
The acclaim for Reniya Kelly continues to grow, just like her game as the guard was named Preseason All-ACC by the league’s media and coaches.
All-ACC Second Team as a sophomore, Kelly preps for her junior season after lighting it up in her second year of collegiate action. Posting eye-popping numbers in ACC play, Kelly averaged 11.4 points per game to rank second for the Tar Heels.
Proving her prowess from beyond the arc, Kelly knocked down 40 triples at a rate of 41.2%. Her field goal percentage from deep ranks No. 4 in a single season at Carolina.
With 50 career starts under her belt, Kelly also picked up honors as one of the nation’s top point guards, earning a spot on the Nancy Lieberman Award Preseason Top-20 Watch list and the Naismith Player of the Year Preseason Watch List.
INDY LOCKING IT DOWN
Joining Kelly as Carolina’s only returning starter, Indya Nivar is primed to end her collegiate career on a high note.
A defensive force, Nivar paced the Tar Heels last season with 68 steals. Her swipes accounted for the most by a player in a single season under Courtney Banghart at UNC.
Snagging seven steals in Carolina’s win at Pitt tied for the most by any ACC player in a single game during the 2024-25 campaign.
Nivar’s productivity distributing the ball also increased, dishing out a personal-season best 68 dimes and dropping a career-best five assists in three games as a junior.
LANIE GRANT ON THE RISE
Playing in all 37 games during her freshman campaign last season, Lanie Grant is poised for a sophomore jump after earning ACC All-Freshman Team accolades.
Scoring double-figures in 11 games, Grant posted a career-best 19 points twice. She also led Carolina in scoring in four games, including twice in ACC action.
Grant still remains one of the youngest Tar Heels, skipping her senior season of high school to reclassify and join UNC a year early.
ACC ACCLAIM
In the league’s preseason polls, Carolina was selected to finish third by the ACC’s coaches and media.
The Tar Heels highest finish in the Banghart era came in 2022, where UNC boasted a 13-5 record to tie for third in the conference.
Last season, Carolina outperformed its expectations from the preseason poll. After being projected to finish 6th, Carolina went 13-5 in league play to tie for 4th.
PRESEASON POLLS
With winning an expectation in Chapel Hill, the sentiment is reiterated nationally with the Tar Heels ranked No. 11 overall in both the AP and the USA Today/Coaches Preseason Polls.
The mark in the AP Poll is the highest start to a season for Carolina since 2009, where UNC began the season ranked No. 4.
In the USA Today/Coaches Poll, it matched Carolina’s best start in the poll since the 2012-13 season.
MOVIN’ ON UP
Following two seasons on staff as a graduate assistant, head coach Courtney Banghart promoted Lexi Weger to assistant coach this summer.
The four-year letterwinner at Princeton continues her coaching career as a member of the Tar Heel staff.
Weger also holds the honor as the youngest assistant coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference in women’s basketball.
COACH KMAC
Battling with injuries throughout her playing career since coming to Carolina in 2021, Kayla McPherson made the choice this summer to ultimately retire from basketball.
“Wearing the UNC jersey has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Being part of such an amazing program has truly been a blessing, and I will forever cherish the memories made here. To the fans in Carmichael, thank you for your endless love and energy,” said McPherson. “This journey has been filled with challenges, growth, and joy, and I’m grateful for every moment spent playing the sport I love. Though my playing days are coming to a close, I will always be a Tar Heel, and I’m excited to step into a new role for this team and continue giving back to the program that has given me so much.”
The McDonald’s All-American out of Hull, Ga., will now spend this next season as a student assistant.
CHALLENGES AWAIT
A loaded non-conference schedule awaits, as UNC is set to face off against seven NCAA Tournament squads, including two coming off of Final Four runs.
Heading West to Sin City in mid-November, Carolina takes on two NCAA Tournament squads in preseason No. 3 UCLA and Fairfield in the WBCA Challenge on Nov. 13 and 15th.
The Bruins reached their first Final Four in program history last season, while Fairfield is coming off of its second straight MAAC Championship.
Breaking out the passports, Carolina travels in search of warmth and to the 2025 Cancun Challenge for three games from Nov. 27-29. Taking on three NCAA Tournament teams in three days, the Tar Heels go up against Kansas State, South Dakota State and Columbia from the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
Kansas State reached the Sweet 16 in last season’s NCAA Tournament, while South Dakota State and Columbia each won a game in the big dance.
The Tar Heels are on the hunt for their third multi-team event title in the last four seasons.
In the third year of the ACC/SEC Challenge, the Tar Heels hit the road for the first time. Carolina travels to Austin to square off against the Longhorns in the first meeting since the 1981 season in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are 1-1 overall in the non-conference event.
TAR HEELS AND NCAA TOURNAMENT FOES
Prepping for March all throughout November and December, Carolina is set to take on eight NCAA Tournament squads between its exhibition and the regular season during its non-conference slate.
– South Carolina – 2025 Final Four
– UCLA – 2025 Final Four
– Fairfield – 2025 First Round
– UNCG – 2025 First Round
– South Dakota State – 2025 Second Round
– Kansas State – 2025 Sweet 16
– Columbia – 2025 First Round
– Texas – 2025 Final Four
HOME SWEET HOME
The confines of Carmichael Arena have been friendly to the Tar Heels throughout non-conference action, as Carolina has won 31 straight games at home against unranked non-conference teams.
This streak dates back to the 2019 season.
MILESTONE WATCH
• 1,099 program wins
– One away from 1,100.
– Would be the 17th program nationally to reach the mark, third in the ACC.
• Nyla Harris – 841 career points
– 159 away from 1,000.
WHAT’S NEXT
Carolina is right back in action on Friday, facing off against Kansas State for its second of three games in Cancun.
Tip against the Wildcats is set for 11 a.m. ET.
All games from Cancun can be caught on FloHoops.
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