I speculated in my preview that UNCarolina might start the game win a big lineup. I wonder if Dawn was thinking the same thing, which is why she started Watkins. Instead, Banghard started with her small lineup. She did go big at the end of the 1st quarter and the roof absolutely caved in on the Tarheels. Bad decision, imo, to wait until Fulwiley is in the game to go big. The game became too fast for them. In the 3 minutes the player with the Hispanic last name played, the Heels were -15. However, she pointed the finger at Deja Kelly for not defending on the perimeter.
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It was Kelly's fault, but, to be fair, she was being asked to do a lot on the offensive end. Going small just meant she had to do even more on the defensive end.
Do you think Kelly comes back? She was clearly frustrated. I thought she was getting a little elbowy, pushy in the 2nd half. I was worried she might provoke one of our players. She just recently signed a NIL deal. Not sure if that is contingent on her staying at North Carolina. I would be surprised if she's drafted after this performance (she was already borderline), so an additional year in college is most likely for her.