The 2015-16 UNC women’s basketball team was ranked in the preseason top 25, but the season itself has been a slog. A midseason injury to Xylina McDaniel depleted a roster that had already been hit with several key preseason transfers – and now, the Tar Heels head into this week’s ACC tournament as the 13th seed, needing a miracle run through the tourney to qualify for an NCAA bid. (And the worst may be yet to come, depending on what sanctions the NCAA decides to impose in the wake of The Scandal.)

But from another perspective, the future for UNC women’s basketball looks bright. Freshman sensations Destinee Walker and Stephanie Watts have shined for the Tar Heels this year and their Carolina careers are only just beginning – and head coach Sylvia Hatchell can look forward to a strong recruiting class coming in next fall.

Are the Tar Heel women on the rise or on the decline? WCHL’s Aaron Keck spoke with Deborah Stroman, sports commentator and UNC business professor.

 

The Tar Heels take on 12th-seeded Pittsburgh in Round 1 of the ACC tournament, Wednesday at 1 pm in the Greensboro Coliseum. (The winner faces no. 5 seed Miami on Thursday.)

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