UNC women’s basketball is participating in a viral challenge intended to raise awareness for leukemia.

The Lemons for Leukemia movement, which aims to raise awareness for bone marrow donations, challenges participants to take a bite out of a raw lemon, post it online and challenge others to do the same while adding to the bone marrow registry through Be The Match.

The challenge was created by Chris Betancourt and Dillon Hill after Chris was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia and given a prognosis of one year to live.

UNC’s longtime head coach, Sylvia Hatchell, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2013 and was forced to temporarily step away from the team during her recovery process. Thankfully, doctors cleared Hatchell to return in 2014 after her leukemia went into remission.

Carolina basketball is not the first collegiate sports team to participate in the challenge, as teams from Southern Methodist and Nova have also participated. Celebrities such as Danny Devito, Gary Oldman, and the anchors from Good Morning America have also participated in the challenge as well.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Women's Basketball in the 2026 NCAA Tournament: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Times
Carolina will compete in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Tar Heels will face No. 1 overall seed and defending champion UConn in Fort Worth, TX Friday. If you aren’t attending the game in person, here’s how you can follow along at home: Broadcast Schedule Those hoping to […]
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: UConn
UNC will play in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season Friday in Fort Worth, TX. If Carolina wants to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2014, it will have to spring a major upset over the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed and defending champion: UConn. The Huskies are […]
Chansky's Notebook: On the Rise
Courtney Banghart has the pieces in place to take the UNC women's basketball program to the next level in the coming years.
UNC Women's Basketball Beats No. 5 Seed Maryland to Advance to NCAA Sweet 16
No. 4 seed UNC outscored No. 5 Maryland 24-16 in the fourth quarter and beat the Terrapins 74-66 in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 at Carmichael Arena Sunday afternoon. The Tar Heels now advance to the tournament’s Sweet 16, which will be played in Fort Worth, TX next week. SO 𝙎𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙏. pic.twitter.com/ZfyaHTTQsx — Carolina […]
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: Maryland
No. 4 seed UNC will face No. 5 seed Maryland Sunday at Carmichael Arena with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. The winner will play in the regional semifinals in Fort Worth, TX next week. Carolina is seeking its second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16. The Terrapins defeated No. 12 seed […]
UNC Women's Basketball Throttles Western Illinois in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
UNC’s defense limited Western Illinois to just 17 made shots in 40 minutes as the No. 4 seeded Tar Heels defeated the No. 13 Leathernecks 82-51 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday in Carmichael Arena. It’s Carolina’s fifth consecutive win in the tournament’s Round of 64 under head coach Courtney Banghart. Round […]
As UNC Women's Basketball Gets its March Madness Started, Carolina Men’s Basketball Crashes Out – Mar. 20, 2026
Deborah Stroman chats with Brighton McConnell about UNC basketball's programs' performances in March Madness on Friday, Mar. 20.
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: Western Illinois
Carolina will host NCAA Tournament action at Carmichael Arena for the second consecutive season this weekend. And it all begins for the No. 4 seed Tar Heels with a matchup against No. 13 seed Western Illinois Friday. The Leathernecks enter the tournament with a 26-5 overall record and won the Ohio Valley Conference championship. Here’s […]
UNC Women's Basketball Signee Kate Harpring Named National High School Player of the Year
Incoming UNC women’s basketball signee Kate Harpring was named the 2026 Naismith Girls’ High School Player of the Year Tuesday. Harpring will join the Tar Heels for the 2026-27 season. Crown 𝗛𝗘𝗥. 👑 pic.twitter.com/EqMDaR949n — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) March 17, 2026 The award comes after Harpring led Marist Academy in Atlanta to its second […]
Chansky's Notebook: The Reward
As it turns out, UNC women’s basketball fans will get at least one more look at the Tar Heels on their home floor.
›