NCAA.com Team of the Week, the North Carolina Tar Heels won both games last week, have won six of the last eight games overall and are now only a game back of third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Seeking a statement win, North Carolina found it on Feb. 17, knocking off No. 3 Louisville, 66-65 at home in Carmichael Arena in a game that included 13 lead changes. The Tar Heels improved to 20-5 with the win, reaching the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2014-15 season. North Carolina improved to 10-5 in ACC play, reaching double-digits in conference wins for the first time since that 2014-15 season. The program's last win against a team ranked at No. 3 or higher was in 2019, when Carolina upset then-No. 1 Notre Dame.
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Sophomore guard Kennedy Todd-Williams fueled the win over Louisville, finishing with a career-high 19 points. Todd-Williams capped her performance with a pair of free throws with 16.2 seconds to play. The first tied the score at 65 and the second put the Tar Heels ahead by what would proved to be the final margin. Deja Kelly also reached double figures with 18 points, 12 of which came before halftime. Alyssa Ustby led North Carolina in rebounding with nine as the Tar Heels won the battle of the boards, 42-32.
North Carolina carried the momentum of that win over Louisville and rolled to a 64-49 road win at Florida State on Sunday, in what was its first road win against the Seminoles since 2014. Kelly led the way with 26 points, while Ustby had a double-double. Kelly's scoring total marked her sixth time with 20-plus points this season and she also led the team with five assists, equal to her season high. Ustby finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for her 12th double of the season. Todd-Williams scored 10 points as the three sophomores played in their 50th game as Tar Heels and gave head coach Courtney Banghart her 50th win at Carolina.
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The Tar Heels, now 21-5 on the season and 11-5 in ACC play, will next head to Virginia on Feb. 23. After that, Carolina looks ahead to its final game of the regular season, at home next Sunday (Feb. 27) against Duke.
