When the No. 11 Tar Heels took on No. 2 South Carolina, they knew it would be an early measure of where they stood. The 91-82 loss at State Farm Arena was tough to swallow, but it also offered a glimpse of what this young team can become. The Gamecocks’ relentless pace exposed areas for growth, a point even head coach Courtney Banghart emphasized to her players afterward.

“We knew this was going to be a slim margin of error… We weren’t necessarily sharp enough yet. And that’s OK – it’s November,” Banghart said postgame. “Some of that is they’ve got first-round draft picks. I get it. But part of that is that we need to be better at the things that happen all the time.” She also admitted that this season’s offense is completely new, and she had already asked her players to embrace a steep learning curve. 

In their final game of the 2024-25 season against Duke in the Sweet 16, UNC’s starters were Lexie Donarski, Indya Nivar, Reniya Kelly, Maria Gakdeng, and Alyssa Ustby. But in this preseason matchup, three of those five players were no longer part of the program after exhausting their eligibility, making the team’s starting lineup look very different from last year’s.

So, going up against the No. 2 team in the nation – one known for having the highest-scoring bench – meant the margin for error was razor-thin. As the game unfolded, it became clear to Banghart that her team wasn’t “sharp enough yet.” And watching the Tar Heels play, it’s easy to see why. 

Defensively, UNC struggled to protect the paint, surrendering 54 points inside. Offensive inconsistency also proved costly. They shot just 35% from the field in the first half and dropped to 28% in the second. “I’ve asked these guys to learn a lot. It’s a totally new offense. It was a year ago. Defensively, we’ve got different strengths and different coverages. So, there’s a lot of learning happening with this young team,” Banghart further added.

Meanwhile, the Gamecocks went 34-of-68 from the floor, with five players scoring in double figures, including two 19s doing half the job.

Well, UNC started strong, jumping out to a 7-2 lead after Nivar sank two free throws just 94 seconds into the game. But once Latson’s three-pointer capped a 12-3 run, South Carolina took a 16-12 lead with 3:55 left in the first quarter. And by the end of the quarter, USC was up by 26-19. Though Gamecocks’ lead stretched to nine early in the second quarter, a strong drive from Brooks and a slick pocket pass to Toomey sparked an 8-0 UNC run. 

After that, the Tar Heels trimmed the deficit to one, but the Gamecocks quickly pushed it back to seven with 3:15 left in the half. From there, UNC struggled to find rhythm. They went without a field goal for the final 3½ minutes of the first half and trailed 49-38 at the break. Still, they showed heart, surging with an 11-2 run in the second half and even outscoring South Carolina after halftime. But it wasn’t enough.

As Banghart shared, “To outscore them in the second half is great… There are going to be people that say there’s no quit – and I get it – but that’s not something we celebrate. It’s just who we are,…We ran out of gas at times… but we took advantage of the ones we could.” Then Gamecocks maintained a double-digit lead throughout the third quarter and entered the final period ahead 75-60. And that’s how they ended up with a win. So yes, it was a loss – but more importantly, it was a learning experience. 

But what’s next for UNC?

Well, there’s no such thing as a loss in college basketball for head coaches-only lessons to be learned from every game. As UNC’s head coach put it, “There’s a lot of learning happening with this young team… It doesn’t matter where you start. For either side, they’re going to get better. It’s a good team, and we damn well better get better, too.”

Of course, for a team that thrived on tough defense last season-allowing just 57.3 points per a 91-point loss is a lot to swallow, even against a powerhouse. As Dawn Staley admitted, “They defend,” but the lapses came down to a shortened roster. Two key players, Kelly and Thomas, were out due to physical issues the head coach didn’t specify.

That meant more minutes and responsibility for the younger players. Still, the team put up a solid fight. They even capitalized on the Gamecocks’ mistakes, scoring 20-13 in points off turnovers. Now, all that’s left is to keep improving as they prepare to tip off against North Carolina Central University from Durham on November 3. What do you think-will they bounce back?