TEXAS LONGHORNS 8-0 (0-0 SEC)
Last Season: 35-4 (15-1 SEC, Tie 1st Place); 2-1 SECT, 4-1 NCAAT (Lost in FF to S. Carolina)
Massey 2 (UNC 18); NCAA NET 3 (UNC 12); Torvik 5 (UNC 10)
Thursday evening’s game is against the #2/#4 Texas Longhorns at the Moody Center in Austin. Texas is currently enjoying a 31-game home winning streak; their last home loss was in December 2023. Overall they are 55-5 at Moody. For this game, 8-1 Carolina at #11/#12 is the underdog. Texas is favored by 13 (Massey), 12 (Nolan) and 11 (Torvik).
UNC and Texas have played just once, 44 years ago. The Heels won, 75-73. Box scores do not go that far back, but that 1981 Carolina team had talent: freshman Tresa Brown (1931 career points), sophomores Kathy Crawford (1806) and Henrietta Walls (1458), and senior Aprille Shaffer (1053). Crawford and Brown were All-Americans and Walls a member of a pretty exclusive club – 1000 points and 1000 rebounds. Wonder if any of them have any eligibility left?
Texas began with a game against Incarnate Word, members of the Southland Conference, and won 123-51. Games with Richmond (85-56), Louisiana (100-38), Texas Southern (111-45), and James Madison (95-56) – all played in Austin – followed. However, the schedule received a major boost to a #33 SoS with the next two games. In the Players Era Championship, Texas took on #3 UCLA and #2 South Carolina, both games played in Las Vegas. Texas won both, 76-65 with the Bruins and 66-64 (on a last second shot) with the Gamecocks. No question, an impressive performance that vaulted Texas to #2 nationally.
Their most recent game was with Penn, winning 81-63. Texas also had two exhibition games against Lubbock Christian (102-44) and Texas Woman’s University (108-54). Both are D-II (Lone Star Conference) and I confess to never having heard of either. Interesting note: TWU used to be called “Texas Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls of the State of Texas in the Arts and Sciences”. Put that on your letterhead.
Four players have started all eight games. They are Breya Cunningham, a 6-4 Junior F (8.6 ppg/6 rpg); Madison Booker, a 6-1 junior F (16.8/7.0); Jordan Lee, a 6-0 sophomore G (14.6/2.0); and Rori Harmon, a 5-6 senior PG (9.9/3.0). Cunningham leads in blocks, Harmon in assists, and Booker (16.8/7.0) in pretty much everything else, including steals. Booker is a two-time SEC POY. Booker, Lee and Harmon were McDonald’s AAs.
There was a fifth starter, this year’s top rookie, 6-1 G Aaliyah Crump (13.2 ppg). She started the first five games. She has a foot injury and it is unclear when she will return.
When Crump was injured, her spot was taken by Teya Sidberry, a 6-1 senior F (7.1/3.3). Sidberry played for Boston College and started a pair of games against Carolina, including 13 points in BC’s 78-74 win against the Heels in 2024.
Texas does not use a deep rotation. The UCLA and the S. Carolina games used only seven players. The two reserves were Justice Carlton, a 6-1 sophomore F (9.9/4.1) and Kyla Oldacre, a 6-6 senior C (10.5/5.9). Both also are McD’s. Oldacre when with Miami started against UNC in 2024, scoring a point.
Texas has had some injury issues, as has UNC. Bryanna Preston, a 6 -0 sophomore G (10 ppg) had 20+ minutes in the first four games, and has not appeared since. Ashton Judd, a 6-1 senior G and Lovisa Hose, a 6-6 sophomore C, have not played. No information about expected return for any of the four has been made available. Hose is Swedish and is a transfer from FAU; Judd is a transfer from Missouri where she was a 1,000-point scorer.
True freshman Grace Prenter, a 5-8 G, and Sarah Graves, a 5-9 senior G, will occasionally be seen in games, but none that are competitive. Prenter is from Dublin and has experience with the Irish Nationals.
Head Coach Vic Schaefer is in year #6 with a record of 152-36. All six teams have reached the NCAAT; 3 times to the Elite 8 and last year, the Final Four. Prior to Texas, Schaefer was HC at Miss. State for 8 years where he had 221 wins including three 30-win seasons and four 20+ win seasons with seven NCAAT appearances.
Texas is a talented team and beating them would be a big upset for UNC. Neither UCLA nor S. Carolina was able to do it on a neutral court, so to do it in Austin would be a tremendous boost for the Heels. For Texas, they have an eye on the #1 ranking currently held by UConn and a big win over another top-12 team might get that.
Carolina must rely on its depth to play tough, aggressive defense against Texas, a bigger team and a reputation for physical play. If nothing else, the Heels need to make this a competitive game and if Texas wins they will have earned it.
Note also that the sweep of the Cancun Challenge gives UNC 8 non-conference wins. However Texas turns out, UNC’s last remaining three non-conference games are against teams whose NET rankings are 254, 277 and 335. Barring some catastrophe that’s 11-2 n/c.
The game is 7 PM EST. As of right now, ESPN2 is scheduled to broadcast the game live with GoHeels providing a radio option through their On Demand platform.
Last Season: 35-4 (15-1 SEC, Tie 1st Place); 2-1 SECT, 4-1 NCAAT (Lost in FF to S. Carolina)
Massey 2 (UNC 18); NCAA NET 3 (UNC 12); Torvik 5 (UNC 10)
Thursday evening’s game is against the #2/#4 Texas Longhorns at the Moody Center in Austin. Texas is currently enjoying a 31-game home winning streak; their last home loss was in December 2023. Overall they are 55-5 at Moody. For this game, 8-1 Carolina at #11/#12 is the underdog. Texas is favored by 13 (Massey), 12 (Nolan) and 11 (Torvik).
UNC and Texas have played just once, 44 years ago. The Heels won, 75-73. Box scores do not go that far back, but that 1981 Carolina team had talent: freshman Tresa Brown (1931 career points), sophomores Kathy Crawford (1806) and Henrietta Walls (1458), and senior Aprille Shaffer (1053). Crawford and Brown were All-Americans and Walls a member of a pretty exclusive club – 1000 points and 1000 rebounds. Wonder if any of them have any eligibility left?
Texas began with a game against Incarnate Word, members of the Southland Conference, and won 123-51. Games with Richmond (85-56), Louisiana (100-38), Texas Southern (111-45), and James Madison (95-56) – all played in Austin – followed. However, the schedule received a major boost to a #33 SoS with the next two games. In the Players Era Championship, Texas took on #3 UCLA and #2 South Carolina, both games played in Las Vegas. Texas won both, 76-65 with the Bruins and 66-64 (on a last second shot) with the Gamecocks. No question, an impressive performance that vaulted Texas to #2 nationally.
Their most recent game was with Penn, winning 81-63. Texas also had two exhibition games against Lubbock Christian (102-44) and Texas Woman’s University (108-54). Both are D-II (Lone Star Conference) and I confess to never having heard of either. Interesting note: TWU used to be called “Texas Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls of the State of Texas in the Arts and Sciences”. Put that on your letterhead.
Four players have started all eight games. They are Breya Cunningham, a 6-4 Junior F (8.6 ppg/6 rpg); Madison Booker, a 6-1 junior F (16.8/7.0); Jordan Lee, a 6-0 sophomore G (14.6/2.0); and Rori Harmon, a 5-6 senior PG (9.9/3.0). Cunningham leads in blocks, Harmon in assists, and Booker (16.8/7.0) in pretty much everything else, including steals. Booker is a two-time SEC POY. Booker, Lee and Harmon were McDonald’s AAs.
There was a fifth starter, this year’s top rookie, 6-1 G Aaliyah Crump (13.2 ppg). She started the first five games. She has a foot injury and it is unclear when she will return.
When Crump was injured, her spot was taken by Teya Sidberry, a 6-1 senior F (7.1/3.3). Sidberry played for Boston College and started a pair of games against Carolina, including 13 points in BC’s 78-74 win against the Heels in 2024.
Texas does not use a deep rotation. The UCLA and the S. Carolina games used only seven players. The two reserves were Justice Carlton, a 6-1 sophomore F (9.9/4.1) and Kyla Oldacre, a 6-6 senior C (10.5/5.9). Both also are McD’s. Oldacre when with Miami started against UNC in 2024, scoring a point.
Texas has had some injury issues, as has UNC. Bryanna Preston, a 6 -0 sophomore G (10 ppg) had 20+ minutes in the first four games, and has not appeared since. Ashton Judd, a 6-1 senior G and Lovisa Hose, a 6-6 sophomore C, have not played. No information about expected return for any of the four has been made available. Hose is Swedish and is a transfer from FAU; Judd is a transfer from Missouri where she was a 1,000-point scorer.
True freshman Grace Prenter, a 5-8 G, and Sarah Graves, a 5-9 senior G, will occasionally be seen in games, but none that are competitive. Prenter is from Dublin and has experience with the Irish Nationals.
Head Coach Vic Schaefer is in year #6 with a record of 152-36. All six teams have reached the NCAAT; 3 times to the Elite 8 and last year, the Final Four. Prior to Texas, Schaefer was HC at Miss. State for 8 years where he had 221 wins including three 30-win seasons and four 20+ win seasons with seven NCAAT appearances.
Texas is a talented team and beating them would be a big upset for UNC. Neither UCLA nor S. Carolina was able to do it on a neutral court, so to do it in Austin would be a tremendous boost for the Heels. For Texas, they have an eye on the #1 ranking currently held by UConn and a big win over another top-12 team might get that.
Carolina must rely on its depth to play tough, aggressive defense against Texas, a bigger team and a reputation for physical play. If nothing else, the Heels need to make this a competitive game and if Texas wins they will have earned it.
Note also that the sweep of the Cancun Challenge gives UNC 8 non-conference wins. However Texas turns out, UNC’s last remaining three non-conference games are against teams whose NET rankings are 254, 277 and 335. Barring some catastrophe that’s 11-2 n/c.
The game is 7 PM EST. As of right now, ESPN2 is scheduled to broadcast the game live with GoHeels providing a radio option through their On Demand platform.
