UNC Women's Hoops Announce Exhibition Against Elite Program

In an era where universities are constantly seeking funding to support the rapid changes across college athletics, preseason exhibition games offer a valuable opportunity to generate revenue and build fan excitement ahead of the season.

North Carolina announced Tuesday that its women’s basketball team will face South Carolina in a preseason exhibition on Thursday, Oct. 30, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.

This isn’t unfamiliar territory for North Carolina basketball. The men’s team will also play a preseason exhibition, taking on BYU at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Tar Heels are reportedly receiving $500,000 for the game, which features one of college basketball’s most storied programs against a rising power in the Cougars.

It will be an awfully similar situation in Atlanta as the Tar Heels face a preseason tune-up in the Gamecocks, who are coming off a run to their second consecutive national championship game in 2025, where they lost to UConn.

The two programs last met in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in Columbia. In neutral-site regular-season games, North Carolina holds a slight 7-6 advantage in the series. The Tar Heels are 5-4 since Dawn Staley became the head coach of South Carolina, but the Gamecocks have won the last four meetings.

UNC — North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Courtney Banghart works with guard Reniya Kelly (10) during the Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament basketball game against the Duke Blue Devils at Legacy Arena. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

After posting a program-best 29-7 record under head coach Courtney Banghart and reaching the Sweet 16 for the 19th time in school history, North Carolina returns 10 players from last year’s roster — highlighted by second-team All-ACC guard Reniya Kelly and ACC All-Freshman selection Lanie Grant.

Kelly averaged 9.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 41.2 percent on three-point shots, the fourth highest in school history.

Grant tallied 7.3 points per game, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game as the first player pff the bench last season.

The Tar Heels also added two players from the transfer portal: forward Nyla Harris (Louisville), who averaged 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds last season, and guard Elina Aarnisalo (UCLA), who averaged 5.1 points, 3.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds last season in all 37 games (10 starts).

Two players who look to make an immediate impact are five-star recruits Nyla Brooks – who was an McDonald’s All-American and Taliyah Henderson.

South Carolina has plenty of firepower too as the Gamecocks return the frontcourt pairing of All-SEC sophomore forward Joyce Edwards (12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and, 1.2 assists per game) and Chloe Kitts (10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game).

The Gamecocks also added guard Ta’Niya Latson out of the transfer portal. Latson, who is a transfer from Florida State, has averaged over 20 points per game in the last three seasons and was the nation’s leading scorer with 25.2 points per game.

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