University of Minnesota Athletics
Game Preview: B1G/ACC Challenge at North Carolina
11/28/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| Minnesota at North Carolina | |
| Date / Time | Wednesday, Nov. 29 | 2:30 p.m. CT |
| Location | Carmichael Arena (Chapel Hill, N.C.) |
| Radio | 93.3 ALT FM | Listen Online | iHeartRadio App |
| Live Video | ACC Network Extra |
| Live Stats | Click Here |
| Follow Live | Game Day Live |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | North Carolina |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | North Carolina |
| Social Media | @GopherWBB | Facebook | Instagram |
The 7-0 Golden Gophers, who received votes in this week's AP Top 25 Poll, travel to North Carolina to face the Tar Heels (3-2) in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The game on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 2:30 p.m. CT. Live coverage will be available on ACC Network Extra and ALT 93.3 FM.
Here are five things to know going into the game:
1 Coming off a tournament championship at the Lady Rebel Round-Up, Minnesota received its first AP Top 25 votes since Feb. 29, 2016. It was the Maroon and Gold's first time winning a Thanksgiving weekend tournament in nine years. The Gophers beat Wake Forest and host UNLV. Freshman Destiny Pitts (40 points, 22 rebounds, 10 3-pointers) received tournament MVP honors. Gadiva Hubbard (42 points, five assists, six 3-pointers) was named to the all-tournament team.
2 The Gophers are 7-0, marking their third-best undefeated start in program history, and their best since starting 15-0 in the Final Four season of 2003-04. They have started at least 4-0 in a program-record four consecutive seasons. Minnesota is 2-0 against ACC teams this season, having beaten Boston College and Wake Forest. A win Tuesday would be the Gophers' first Big Ten/ACC Challenge victory in three years.
3 Pitts was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time in a row and made the Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll. She is averaging a 14.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. With five double-digit rebound games, Pitts has already surpassed Jessie Edwards' team-high 2016-17 total. No Gopher has had more double-digit rebound games since Amanda Zahui B. (24) and Shae Kelley (15) in 2014-15. Pitts and Kenisha Bell each have three double-doubles this year. Bell's average of 7.4 assists ranks fifth in the nation and first in the Big Ten.
4 Carlie Wagner moved into seventh place on the Gophers' career scoring list at the Lady Rebel Round-Up. With 16 points in each game there, she brings 1,719 career points to Chapel Hill. Wagner also moved into third place on the career 3-pointer list with 220, 10 behind Shannon Schonrock (2002-06).
5 Wagner, a two-time All-Big Ten Second Team honoree, was on the All-Big Ten Preseason Team. Bell (2017 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention) is on the Nancy Lieberman Award (nation's top point guard) watch list. Since Marlene Stollings' arrival, the Gophers have had two Big Ten Players of the Year (Zahui B. 2015, Rachel Banham 2016), three First Team selections, two consensus Second Team selections, one All-Freshman award and one Honorable Mention. Zahui B. and Banham went on to make Minnesota the only team besides UConn to have top-five picks in both their years' WNBA Drafts.
SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS
• North Carolina is 3-2 and coming off a week of rest since its Nov. 22 win against UNCW. The Tar Heels' other wins came against Colorado and Radford. Their losses were to Hampton and South Alabama.
• Sylvia Hatchell is in her 32nd season at UNC and 43rd overall. The Hall of Fame coach has 993 career victories.
• The team the Gophers faced last November returned all five starters, including current leading scorer Paris Kea (22.2 ppg) and Minnesotan Taylor Koenen. Four Tar Heels average double figures.
• Kea and and Stephanie Watts, both junior guards, were named to the Preseason All-ACC Team. Center Janelle Bailey is on the ACC Newcomer Watch List.
