CHAPEL HILL, NC — Courtney Banghart was furiously scribbling on the paper in front of her on the dais as her North Carolina players answered questions about their 82-51 victory over Western Illinois in the first round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament.
Banghart’s mind was already on the next game.
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“I’ve watched a lot of Maryland, so I was just writing some Maryland notes down,” Banghart said. “I’ve got to show (the players) film here after they eat. We’ve got that scout ready. I was just remembering some things that are going to be consistent with what happened today that I’m going to carry over. Usually when I’m writing, it’s about basketball.”
An old ACC rivalry will be renewed on Sunday, March 22 when the No. 4 seed Tar Heels face the No. 5 Terrapins in Chapel Hill. It will mark the first meeting between the two teams since the 2014 ACC Tournament, where UNC handed Maryland a 73-70 loss in the Terps’ final game in the league before bolting for the Big Ten.
Maryland advanced to the second round of the tournament by beating No. 12 Murray State 99-67 on Friday, March 20. It’s the latest in the many victories Terrapins’ coach Brenda Frese has tallied in UNC’s historic Carmichael Arena.
“For me, coaching here, it’s a place that I know. I’m very familiar,” Frese said. “Of course you have to be able to bring up Sylvia Hatchell. I remember her chasing an official off the court one time at halftime and the great personality that Sylvia had. A lot of fond memories.”
Hatchell was the coach of the Tar Heels when Frese’s Maryland squad beat North Carolina in the 2006 Final Four en route to winning the program’s only national championship. That Final Four featured three ACC teams as Duke was the Terps’ opponent in the national title bout.
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Maryland and North Carolina twice met in the ACC Tournament championship in North Carolina, with the Terrapins winning in Fayetteville in 1986 and the Tar Heels taking the victory in Greensboro in 2006. Maryland got its revenge weeks later with an 81-70 triumph in the national semifinals in Boston.
Those Maryland teams — coached by Chris Weller and then Frese — were a crucial part of what made the ACC one of the strongest leagues in women’s college basketball. While it hasn’t played in the conference in over a decade, the Terps are still tied with Duke for the most ACC Tournament championships with 10.
Back in 2006, Banghart was a young assistant coach at her alma mater, Dartmouth, when the Tar Heels faced the Terrapins in the Final Four. She remembers watching in awe as North Carolina’s Ivory Latta and Erlana Larkins battled with Maryland’s Laura Harper and Kristi Toliver, and as Frese and Hatchell matched wits.
Now, Banghart gets to be part of writing the next chapter in the rivalry with the Terps and Tar Heels.
With numerous women’s basketball banners hanging in the rafters at at Carmichael Arena, North Carolina guard Indya Nivar, right, puts up a shot against the Western Illinois during the first round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament on March 20, 2026.
“I’m in charge of it now, but there’s a lot of people that played before me and coached before me that remember this rivalry in the same way,” Banghart said. “It should be a great environment. I think there will be even more fans than were here today.
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“But that’s what March is about, these matchups like this that can’t always happen, and when they do, you just want to buckle up and watch.”
The game will also feature former Duke guard Oluchi Okananwa facing the Tar Heels again. Now a junior guard for Maryland, she leads the Terps in scoring with 17.7 points per game this season. Maryland’s victory over Murray State marked the first time Okananwa had won in Carmichael.
Banghart and Frese have their own history together, too. While Banghart was building Princeton into one of the sport’s mid-major powers before she became head coach at UNC, she twice lost to Frese’s Maryland in the NCAA Tournament. In 2015, when Banghart was named Naismith Coach of the Year, her Tigers’ second-round loss to the Terrapins was the only defeat they suffered all season, finishing the year with a 31-1 record.
“What Brenda has done – consistency in this business is really hard and being at one place, because to be good you’ve got to fight for your program. So, you actually wear people out. And the fact that she’s been able to be so loved at Maryland and win so many games consistently is remarkable,” Banghart said. “And she’s one of those in the business that truly does root for other people. So, she’s also one of the better people in our business.”
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The time for Sunday’s clash in Chapel Hill is still to-be-determined.
A win for Frese on Sunday would the 689th of her career. For Banghart, it would be win No. 407. Frese is aiming to take the Terps to the Sweet 16 for the 13th time in her tenure, while a trip to the tournament’s second weekend would be the third for the Tar Heels in seven seasons under Banghart.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maryland vs North Carolina in March Madness renews old ACC rivalry
