The No. 6-seeded West Virginia women’s basketball team is set to take on No. 3-seeded UNC in a Second Round matchup of the NCAA Tournament this evening. If the Mountaineers overpower the Tar Heels, they will be the first team in the history of WVU women’s basketball to win two games in the tournament and the second team to advance to the Sweet 16.
The two teams meet for just the second time, the first being in 1979. The Tar Heels overpowered the Mountaineers in their matchup by a score of 95-56 at the JMU Tipoff Classic.
West Virginia defeated Columbia Saturday afternoon in an aggressive matchup by a score of 78-59. Headed into the Second Round, the Mountaineers sit at 25-7 on the season.
This year’s March Madness appearance marks the Mountaineers’ 16th bid since 1989 holding an all-time record of 12-15 in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Mark Kellogg is the first coach in program history to lead West Virginia to the tournament twice in his first two years with the team.
As hosts for the 13th time in program history, UNC has the home-court advantage as well as the strong fanbase. The Tar Heels overpowered Oregon State in the First Round with a blowout score of 70-49 leaving them 28-7 on the season.
UNC is 53-30 in the NCAA Tournament making their 32nd appearance and becoming just one of seven schools in the nation to make the tournament 32 times or more. The Tar Heels host the First Round for the first time since 2015.
West Virginia is led by JJ Quinerly, who most recently reached the milestone of 2,000 career points. So far this season, the senior guard averages 20.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 3.1 steals per game.
Lexi Donarski paves the way for the Tar Heels averaging 10.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game on the season. Following the regular season, the senior guard was ranked No. 7 among ACC players with 2.26 threes made per game.
The Mountaineers hope to advance to the Sweet 16 as the madness continues tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. ET in Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill.
