Nivar's Career Night Not Enough as UNC Season Ends vs. UConn in Sweet 16

No. 4 North Carolina put up an early fight against top-ranked UConn, but ultimately fell, 63-42, on Friday evening in the Sweet 16 in Fort Worth, Texas. The Tar Heels led by one point after the first quarter and trailed by three with under two minutes left in the first half, but the Huskies’ defense was eventually too much. UConn held UNC to five points in the third quarter.

North Carolina struggled immensely against UConn’s elite defense, totaling its least amount of points all season and finishing 17-for-60 (28.3%) from the field to pair with a season-high 24 turnovers. 

“It was a really physical game, obviously, that led to way too many turnovers for us,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “To beat a team like this, you have to be really good. You have to make your open shots, you have to take care of the basketball, and we didn’t do that.”

Nivar Does All She Can

Senior guard Indya Nivar left it all on the floor for UNC in her final game in Carolina blue. She scored a career-high 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and swiped four steals to finish as the only Tar Heel in double-figure scoring. 

And in the first half, she did all she could to give North Carolina a fighting chance early on. Nivar not only kept UNC in it, but single-handedly willed the Tar Heels to a 12-11 lead over the Huskies at the end of the first quarter, by leading the Tar Heels defensively. 

“We just bought into sitting down, guarding, and making things tough for them,” Nivar said. “I think it kind of got them rattled, definitely in the first half. We made them go our pace that we wanted to go on defense, and I think that’s why we had so much success in the first half.”

It started with an early rejection, where Nivar swatted a UConn layup attempt into the seats behind UNC’s basket. She then scored a quick pair of buckets while collecting five rebounds on the defensive end — a crucial element that held the Huskies to their lowest points in a first quarter all season.

Despite the eventual outcome, Nivar’s effort on both ends of the floor sent the senior off with a memorable final performance, prompting an emotional Banghart to express her gratitude for Nivar’s impact over the final three seasons of her career after transferring from Stanford.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of teams in the W(NBA) that she would make better because of how she competes,” Banghart said. “It doesn’t always work out like this, where you do things the right way, and it pays off, but she’s just such an example of that. Really proud of her and have loved coaching her.”

Offense Goes Cold in Second Half

Hanging within striking distance for a half, the Tar Heels fell behind in the third quarter as UConn held North Carolina to five points in the period. It was more than a six-minute scoreless stretch for UNC that helped the Huskies go on a 17-0 run and never look back.

“God, I’m not going to want to look back at it,” Banghart said about the third quarter shooting. “I think we probably had 10 turnovers in the third quarter. So they were not playing against a set defense. I’ve said it all year, ‘There’s no defense for a turnover.’”

In the third quarter alone, the Tar Heels were 2-for-17 (11.8%) from the field and 1-for-9 (11.1%) from beyond the arc, with UConn blitzing UNC guards off ball screens and forcing six turnovers. The Huskie defensive scheme made it a difficult night for Lanie Grant and Elina Aarnisalo. 

The pair of North Carolina guards — who combined for 41 points in the second round against Maryland — finished with a combined five points on 2-for-19 shooting. Even worse, they turned the ball over 11 times, leading to nine fast-break points for UConn in the quarter.

“They were able to get in transition, which is really hard to guard with all the offensive power they have,” Nivar said. “In the first half, we were able to get into our half-court. We didn’t really take advantage of that in the second half. I feel like that’s how they got a lot of points in transition.” 

Banghart Continues to Build Success

What was expected to be a down year after North Carolina’s success last season turned into a second straight Sweet 16 run and 28 wins. The sustained success is the first time UNC has totaled 27-plus wins in back-to-back seasons since 2014. 

A testament to Banghart’s consistent success for UNC, which continues to get the Tar Heels to, but not over, the metaphorical Sweet 16 hump. Six years ago, North Carolina sat in the bottom four of the ACC standings. Now, the Tar Heels have shown themselves to be perennial conference competitors and have earned the right to host back-to-back NCAA tournaments. 

“What should have been on paper as a rebuild, it wasn’t,” Banghart said. “We build every day, and so the sophomores that are now on our team are now the juniors; they got better every day last year to be in this position. So it’s really rewarding.

“… Sustained excellence is really hard, and when you have sustained excellence, it means you’ve got more cracks at it. I think this program is in a really healthy spot, and I’m proud of that.”

With the addition of point guard Kate Harpring — On3’s No. 2 high school recruit nationally in the class of 2026 — set to join the roster next season, UNC continues to trend in the right direction under Banghart as the Tar Heels chase their first Final Four since 2007. 

“I know that we went through a lot of adversity in the beginning half of the season, but it really challenged us, and it made us better,” senior transfer Nyla Harris said. “I think that we made it here for a reason, and it shows our resilience as a team. 

“I’m really proud of this team, and I’m so excited to see what Coach Banghart does with her next team. I know it will be great.”