WVU MOUNTAINEERS VS. UNC TARHEELS PREVIEW — MARCH 24, 2025 —The WVU Mountaineers (25-7) square off against the North Carolina Tar Heels (28-7) in the second round of the women’s NCAA tournament. Here’s how both teams have performed coming into this matchup.
Tipoff
When: Monday, March 24, 2025 @ 7:00 PM EST
Where: Carmichael Arena, Chapel Hill, N.C.
TV: ESPN2
WVU Coming Off Impressive Showing Against Columbia
After suffering a 71-65 loss against TCU in the semifinal round of the Big 12 tournament, the Mountaineers bounced back with a 78-59 victory against the Columbia Lions on Saturday afternoon, stamping their ticket to the second round.
READ: WVU baseball loses 16-inning battle to Arizona
Once again, WVU was led by none other than senior guard JJ Quinerly. She scored 27 points (including the 2,000th of her career), grabbed four rebounds, and handed out seven assists. It is also worth mentioning that Quinerly accounted for seven of the team’s 17 steals.
Jordan Harrison turned in a solid performance, finishing with 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the floor and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. She also tallied four rebounds and six assists. Jordan Thomas chipped in with 12 points and nine boards off the bench.
The Mountaineers overwhelmed Columbia early, shooting 71.4 percent in the opening stanza before taking a 24-15 lead. The lead only grew from there as WVU used a 12-2 run in the second quarter to stretch the lead to 39-16, and they led 46-29 at the break.
In the second half, the teams played to a virtual stalemate, with WVU winning the scoring battle 32-30. The Mountaineers outshot Columbia 53.6 percent to 38.2 percent. They outscored the Lions from long range by a 27-12 margin. Lastly, the Mountaineers enjoyed a 48-20 advantage in points in the paint and produced 28 points off 25 turnovers.
Tarheels Look To Put Together Another Defense Gem Against Mountaineers
On the other hand, the Tarheels come into this matchup having won three of their previous four games, including a stifling 70-49 victory against the Oregon State Beavers.
Lexi Donarski set the tone for UNC, finishing with 19 points, two assists, and two steals. She also converted five of her eight attempts from 3-point range.
Maria Gakdeng added 13 points and five rebounds, while Alyssa Ustby contributed 10 points, nine boards, and four dimes. The game was competitive through the first 20 minutes, with UNC nursing a 26-24 lead at intermission.
However, the Tarheels stepped up defensively in the game-changing third quarter. In that frame, they shot 64.7 percent from the floor and 6-for-8 from long range, resulting in a 30-9 scoring advantage. Needless to say, this stretch put the game out of reach for Oregon State.
Like WVU, North Carolina also had a solid defensive showing against its previous opponent. This group held the Beavers to 35.2 percent shooting overall and a woeful 16.7 percent from distance. The Tarheels won the rebounding battle 40-32 and turned 17 turnovers into 22 points. Furthermore, they outscored Oregon State by a 40-16 margin inside the paint.
WVU vs UNC Prediction: Who Has The Edge?
The Mountaineers are 14-6 in the Big 12. They average 75.9 points per contest and have outscored their opponents by 20.3 points per outing. Meanwhile, the Tarheels are 15-6 against ACC opponents and have won 13 of 14 against non-conference foes. North Carolina surrenders just 57.9 points per game while limiting the opposition to 36.6 shooting.
In a matchup in which both teams can slow the game down to a crawl, look for the No. 3 Tarheels to edge the Mountaineers by a slim margin in this matchup.
