After the Virginia men’s basketball team’s struggle against North Carolina last night at John Paul Jones Arena, the women’s team will get its chance against the Tar Heels Friday in Chapel Hill, N.C. These Tar Heels, unlike their male counterparts, boast an undefeated record that has earned them a No. 2 national ranking.
“We look forward to playing in these types of games because these are the types of games that define who we are as a team and our character,” Virginia junior guard Monica Wright said.
On top of the pressure of playing on the road, North Carolina (18-0, 2-0 ACC) will be the highest-ranked opposition the No. 14 Cavaliers (14-2, 1-0 ACC) have faced so far this season.
“There aren’t a lot of weaknesses with this team,” Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. “[It is] a very good defensive team, but I think you have to get through [its] first line of defense to be able to score. And you have to be able to handle [its] pressure.”
Ryan likely refers to making use of Virginia’s strong frontcourt, which has recently been augmented by the addition of senior forward Lyndra Littles back to the lineup. After sitting out the team’s first nine games because of academic reasons, Littles is averaging 19 points per game and has already accumulated four blocks and 48 rebounds in seven games. Senior center Aisha Mohammed is continuing the dominance she displayed at the beginning of the season inside; she is only a few rebounds shy of averaging a double-double in the games she has played, with 12.8 points and 9.3 boards per game.
To see dividends from these two players, however, Virginia will have to rely on a backcourt to distribute the ball. Senior guard Britnee Millner and freshman guard Arianna Moorer fill the team’s point guard role. The tandem’s assist-to-turnover ratio is currently not in their favor, but the two have already combined for 48 steals on the season. As the two guards push the ball up the court, they will be forced to contend with one of the faster-paced offenses in the country.
North Carolina “wants it to be a 100-possession game,” Ryan said. “We’re not quite the 100-possession game team, but we are close to it.”
Though the teams have many similarities, Ryan said, Virginia will have to play its strengths without letting North Carolina taking advantage of its own.
“We have to be able to neutralize their running game, yet take advantage of ours,” Ryan said. “But we don’t want to be going so fast that we neutralize our own running game ... We want to be going fast, but not too fast.”
To cope with the dynamic style of play Virginia expects from the Tar Heels, Ryan has been stressing fundamentals.
“UNC is a type of team that is like us,” Wright said. “The [players] like to run. They are very strong in transition; they are very quick and they’re a big team. So we have to be disciplined on the defensive end as well as rebounding.”
The Cavaliers will, as always, rely on the outstanding play of Wright, who leads the ACC in points with 21.9 points per game. Wright also leads the team in steals with 56 and is looking to lead her team to its first victory against North Carolina in 12 meetings.
“You want to have as much excitement and enthusiasm as you can,” Wright said. “But you want to harness it and be able to focus and know when to bring it on and when to turn it off.”
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