The UNC women’s basketball team’s non-conference schedule for the 2023-24 season is continuing to take shape, and the Tar Heels could potentially face off against even more star power.  Carolina will compete in the eight-team Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, FL, this November. The most notable team in the field is 2023 national runner-up Iowa, led by reigning National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark.

The event will be played in a bracket format similar to tournaments like the Maui Invitational, with each of the eight sides guaranteed three games in either the winner’s or loser’s bracket.

Carolina’s first game will come against Vermont on November 24. It’s the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The winner of that game will face the winner of Kansas State and Western Kentucky. Florida Gulf Coast, Delaware and Purdue-Fort Wayne are also part of the field with the Tar Heels and Hawkeyes.

UNC has faced Iowa four times in program history, with the series split 2-2. The Tar Heels haven’t faced the Hawkeyes since Courtney Banghart came to Chapel Hill, with the last meeting coming during the 2012-13 season (Carolina won, 79-67).

Clark is one of the most popular players in women’s basketball and is known for her incredible scoring ability. She averaged 26.6 points per game as a true freshman and only improved from there, averaging 27.8 as a junior last season and leading the Hawkeyes to the championship game. She and Iowa represent a potentially stern test for Carolina in a non-conference slate which already features UConn and South Carolina.

The 2023 Gulf Coast Showcase is scheduled for November 24-26.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati


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