
The UNC women’s basketball team will face South Carolina in a preseason exhibition game in Atlanta on Thursday, October 30. The game will be played in State Farm Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.
South Carolina has won the last four meetings with the Tar Heels, three of which have come in NCAA Tournament play. UNC’s last victory in the series came in the 2014 NCAA Sweet 16.
UNC is coming off its best season under head coach Courtney Banghart. The Tar Heels finished the year with a 29-8 overall record and 13-5 mark in ACC play. UNC advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinals and hosted NCAA Tournament games in Carmichael Arena, both of which were first-time accomplishments in Banghart’s tenure. The Tar Heels’ No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament was the team’s highest since 2013.
Key returners for the 2025-26 season include guards Reniya Kelly (second team All-ACC) and Lanie Grant (ACC All-Freshman team), as well as starting wing Indya Nivar. Five newcomers join the roster, including transfers Elina Aarnisalo (UCLA) and Nyla Harris (Louisville) and highly-ranked freshmen Nyla Brooks and Taliyah Henderson.
South Carolina is coming off a run to the 2025 national title game, where the Gamecocks fell to UConn. South Carolina has earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in five consecutive seasons, two of which ended in championships.
Tip-off time and TV information for October’s exhibition will be announced at a later date. Tickets will go on sale through Ticketmaster at 10 a.m. the morning of August 8.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jerome M. Ibrahim
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Related Stories
‹

UNC Women's Basketball Announces 2025-26 ACC ScheduleThe ACC announced the full 2025-26 conference schedule for all women’s basketball programs Tuesday afternoon. As was the case during the 2024-25 season, UNC will play 18 conference games, facing 16 teams once and rival Duke twice. Been waiting on this one… The ACC schedule is 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀! pic.twitter.com/EKw7G5eVCY — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) September 2, […]

UNC Women's Basketball's Kayla McPherson Announces Retirement Following Knee InjuriesGuard Kayla McPherson of the UNC women’s basketball program officially announced her retirement from basketball Tuesday, citing multiple knee injuries and long recovery periods. The redshirt senior will remain with the team as a student assistant. 11 Out 🩵 pic.twitter.com/hfHxsvKE52 — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) August 26, 2025 A McDonald’s All-American at Madison County High […]

5-Star Prospect Kate Harpring Commits to UNC Women's BasketballCourtney Banghart and the Tar Heels may have just won their biggest recruiting battle ever. Point guard Kate Harpring, a five-star prospect from Atlanta ranked among the top five players in the 2026 recruiting class on every major board, committed to Banghart and UNC Saturday. Go Tar Heels!! 🩵🩵#committed pic.twitter.com/RbzpiYqJOZ — Kate Harpring (@Kate_Harpring26) August […]

UNC Women's Basketball Announces Full 2025-26 Non-Conference ScheduleThe UNC women’s basketball team announced its full slate of non-conference games for the 2025-26 regular season Tuesday morning. The wait is over… Our Non-Conference schedule is 𝙎𝙀𝙏 📅 pic.twitter.com/8fp72vNR9Q — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) August 5, 2025 UNC begins with a preseason exhibition game against 2025 national runners-up South Carolina in Atlanta on October […]

UNC Women's Basketball to Compete in WBCA Challenge in Las VegasHead coach Courtney Banghart and the Tar Heels are heading out west early in the 2025-26 season. UNC will compete in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Challenge in Las Vegas this coming November, facing UCLA and Fairfield. The games will be played at Michelob ULTRA Arena, home of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, with […]

Courtney Banghart Praises UNC's Newcomers, Deeper Roster: 'Our Offense Will Be Quite Different'Less than four months before her team opens up its 2025-26 season, UNC women’s basketball head coach Courtney Banghart is already forecasting the group as one of the deepest and most competitive rosters she’s ever assembled. “I would be very surprised if our rotation was anywhere near as tight as it has been,” Banghart told […]

UNC Women's Basketball to Play in 2025 Cancun ChallengeUNC will join three other programs to play in the 2025 Cancun Challenge in Mexico this November. The Tar Heels will be joined by Columbia, Kansas State and South Dakota State south of the border as part of the challenge’s Mayan Tournament. Break out the passports – The Heels are heading to Cancun! pic.twitter.com/WibQ1gWw26 — […]

Check Out the Complete Schedule for UNC's 'ACC Network Takeover' July 8The ACC Network will feature 24 hours of Tar Heel highlights from the 2024-25 athletic year Tuesday as part of its annual “ACC Network Takeover.” Programming begins at midnight and lasts through 11:59 p.m. Featured games include the women’s basketball team’s win against No. 10 NC State at Carmichael Arena back in February. Those who […]

Report: Russian Prospect Elizaveta Astakhova Commits to UNC Women's BasketballAccording to a report from On3’s Talia Goodman, Elizaveta Astakhova, a six-foot-one wing who spent the 2024-25 basketball season playing professionally in Russia, committed to head coach Courtney Banghart and UNC Tuesday afternoon. NEWS: Russian 2025 prospect Elizaveta Astakhova has committed to North Carolina, her agents Tequan Dean and Alex Karavanen told @On3sports. The 6-1 […]

UNC's Alyssa Ustby, Maria Gakdeng Each Sign WNBA ContractsTwo former Tar Heel women’s basketball stars are getting their shots at the pros. UNC’s Alyssa Ustby signed a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Sparks Tuesday morning, and Maria Gakdeng signed with the Atlanta Dream later that day. The Sparks have signed Alyssa Ustby as an undrafted free agent. Welcome to Los Angeles, Alyssa! […]
›