Sports

2019 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament Preview

Landon Bost

The 2019 Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament begins today at the Greensboro Coliseum. Here’s a breakdown of what the local teams must do to go far. 

(*ACC Tournament Seed/AP Poll Rank) 

No. 11 Duke Blue Devils (14-14, 6-10 ACC) 

Last Five 

Over the last five games, the Blue Devils went 3-2, and have won three straight. Their most impressive, and recent, win was against North Carolina this Sunday where they defeated the Tar Heels 62-44. 

Duke Blue Devis first team All-ACC guard Haley Gorecki
Duke Blue Devis first team All-ACC guard Haley Gorecki

Matchup: No. 14 University of Pittsburgh Panthers (11-19, 2-14 ACC)

The Blue Devils play the Panthers this evening at 6:30 p.m. Last time out they defeated the Panthers 74-55 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in their only matchup this season. The game went back-and-forth in the first half, and the Panthers led 19-17 at the end of the first quarter, however, the Blue Devils went into halftime with a 41-32 lead. The Blue Devils ran away with the game in the fourth quarter. 

Keys to Success 

  • Starting Strong 
    • Duke is 9-2 when leading at half, however, they are 2-9 when trailing. 
  • Jade Williams
    • Over Duke’s three-game winning streak, Williams is averaging 12.7 points and 7.3 rebounds. 
  • Haley Gorecki 
    • In ACC play, Gorecki is ranked sixth in scoring with 17.6 points per game and is ranked third in steals with 2.4 steals per game. She was voted first team All-ACC honors by the Blue Ribbon Panel. 

Potential Opponents 

If the Blue Devils win, they will matchup with the No. 6/No. 22 Florida State Seminoles (22-7, 10-6 ACC) in the second round, and the No. 3/No. 9 NC State Wolfpack in the quarterfinals tomorrow.

No. 3/No. 9 NC State Wolfpack (25-4, 12-4 ACC)

Last Five 

The Wolfpack went 3-2 in their last five games.  Their two losses were blowouts against the regular season co-champions of the ACC: the No. 1/No. 4 Norte Dame Fighting Irish, 95-72, and the No. 2/No. 3 Louisville Cardinals, 92-62. However, they ended the regular season

NC State Wolfpack first team All-ACC guard Kiara Leslie
NC State Wolfpack first team All-ACC guard Kiara Leslie

with a hard-fought, 70-68 victory over the No.4/No. 16 Miami Hurricanes. 

Matchup: TBD 

The Wolfpack earned a double-bye, and will play Friday at 8 p.m. against Duke, Pittsburgh or Florida State. 

Potential Opponents 

If the Wolfpack win, they’ll advance to the semifinals and play Louisville, the No. 7 Clemson Tigers (18-11, 9-7 ACC), the No. 10 Virginia Tech Hokies (19-10, 6-10 ACC) or the No. 15 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-19, 1-15 ACC) Saturday at 2:30 p.m. 

Keys to Success 

  • Controlling Tempo 
    • With the Wolfpack’s lack of depth, due to season-ending injuries, they must dictate the pace of the game on both ends to conserve energy. 
  • Collective Scoring Effort 
    • The Wolfpack are 11-1 on the season when four or more players score in double figures. 
  • Limiting Turnovers 
    • In conference play, NC State ranked eleventh in turnover margin, -2.31, and lost the turnover battle in their 4 losses this year. 

No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels (17-13, 8-8 ACC) 

Last Five 

The Tar Heels finished 2-3 in their last five games. Their worst loss, in terms of résumé, was 91-78 against Pitt; their biggest loss, by points, was 62-44 against the Blue Devils. 

Matchup: No. 9 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (17-12, 7-9 ACC)

The Tar Heels play the Yellow Jackets tomorrow at 2 p.m. Carolina defeated the Yellow Jackets 91-90 at the last second from a go-ahead free throw by Janelle Bailey in their only meeting of the regular season.

North Carolina first team All-ACC guard Paris Kea
North Carolina first team All-ACC guard Paris Kea

Bailey scored 20 points, and Paris Kea scored 29. However, the Tar Heels must slow down Georgia Tech’s ACC All-Freshman team winners Elizabeth Balogun and Elizabeth Dixon. Balogun scored a career-high of 35 points in the game against the Tar Heels. 

Potential Opponents 

If the Tar Heels win, they will play Norte Dame Friday at 2 p.m. 

Keys to Success 

  • A healthy Stephanie Watts 
    • Watts left the game early in the second quarter against the Virginia Cavaliers on Feb. 17 with a hyper-extended knee and hasn’t played a game since. She was critical in their four-game winning streak, and provides a spark for the Tar Heels on both ends of the court. 
  • Janelle Bailey 
    • Bailey was held to 10 or less points in back-to-back games for the first time this season, and second time in her Carolina career. The Tar Heels need Bailey to control the paint on both ends of the floor to go far in the Tournament. 
  • The 3-point line 
    • Carolina is ranked ninth in the ACC in 3-point FG% with an average of 32.8%, however, all their guards can catch fire from deep. The Tar Heels must have solid 3-point shooting to keep the defense honest and give Bailey more space to operate in the paint.