The Atlantic Coast Conference has recently fielded some strong women’s basketball programs, with UNC looking to break into the competitive upper-tier. Heading into the 2022-23 season, media members throughout the conference are predicting this may indeed be the year.

The ACC released its preseason predictions from voting media on Wednesday, with the Tar Heels listed as expected to finish fifth in the conference. It’s a bump up from last year’s preseason rankings, which saw head coach Courtney Banghart’s team predicted to finish seventh before they ultimately tied for third place.

Carolina, who will begin the season ranked No. 12 nationally, is behind four other highly-ranked teams. No. 7 Louisville was picked to win the ACC, with No. 9 Notre Dame, No. 10 NC State and No. 13 Virginia Tech coming in ahead of the Tar Heels.

One reason for optimism around the UNC program: the team’s retention of its core rotation. Four starters are returning with experience from a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament and Carolina’s bench looks to have more depth as younger players recover from injury. The Tar Heels’ leading scorer, junior guard Deja Kelly, picked up a Preseason All-ACC prediction from conference media members as well — with the announcement coming after her inclusion on the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list earlier this week.

Rising junior Alyssa Ustby also was tabbed for a preseason watch list on Wednesday. For the second season in a row, she landed a spot on the early list for the Cheryl Miller Award given annually to the nation’s top small forward. Ustby led the Tar Heels in rebounding last season and was second on the team in scoring, which drew her recent praise from ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. And, of course, her head coach shared praise of the forward’s play in the preseason announcement.

“Alyssa is undoubtedly one of the most versatile players in the country,” Banghart said in a release. “She is elite in transition, can guard all positions, and can score from so many spots on the floor. Her relentless motor and extreme competitiveness separate her from so many. She will be a key part of our team again this season, and a premier player in the ACC.”

The list of 20 candidates for the preseason watch list of the Cheryl Miller Award will be cut down to ten players in mid-February, with five finalists announced as the regular season comes to a close.

UNC women’s basketball will tip off its season against Jackson State on November 9, with ACC play beginning against Florida State on December 29.

 

Photo via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati.

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