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

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