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NC State Women's Basketball

MCLAMB: Talk The Talk, Walk The Walk

January 8, 2022
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It was an odd and unexpected choice of words, even in the context of a rivalry like NC State and North Carolina. 

Many folks would have just casually approached the matchup Thursday in Reynolds Coliseum. For some, the game might have snuck up on them. Whether directly or indirectly, North Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart brought attention to the top-20 matchup.

Days before the game, Banghart’s “small arena” talk was out of nowhere. It would have taken remarkable foresight to see those comments coming. 

Reynolds Coliseum is sacred to NC State followers. To attack it or to minimize its value is equivalent to disrespecting a family member. Banghart, who spent 16 years working in the Ivy League before accepting the North Carolina head coaching job in 2019, may or may not have understood that beforehand – but she is also no stranger to the Old Barn, having taken Princeton to Raleigh for NCAA Tournament games. 

Initially, it was not easy to discern if Banghart’s comments were meant to antagonize NC State. In fairness, her remarks were probably parsed and taken too seriously, but after the game, she doubled down. 

“Actually, I gotta say the gym in the Bahamas actually was louder and hotter,” Banghart said when asked about something unrelated. 

Later she added, “It was two good teams who will be playing in March. To play like that, I feel badly for everyone in the gym that they had to watch that,” as if any NC State follower would ever be upset about watching the Wolfpack throttle the Tar Heels. 

NC State jumped North Carolina early and was in no mood to let the Tar Heels grind their way back as the game settled in. The Wolfpack held UNC to seven points in the first quarter and closed the show by repeating the feat in the fourth. The Heels, ranked 19th in the nation and undefeated entering the contest, never really had a chance.  

In recent years, the schools’ rivalry banter has not extended into women’s basketball, despite North Carolina handing the NC State a regular-season loss in each of the past three seasons. Two of those defeats ended unbeaten starts to the campaign, just as the Wolfpack’s win Thursday did to the Tar Heels. NCSU has lost two straight in Chapel Hill, where the rematch will be on January 30th. 

Wes Moore, who seemingly holds the world record for most usage of the word “crud” and would not know trash talk if it slapped him in the face, has never really bought into the importance of the rivalry. Like other NC State head coaches over the years, Moore looks at the value of all ACC games as being equal. Unlike some of those head coaches, Moore still functions nicely at NCSU despite mitigating UNC’s worth because he has beat the Tar Heels and, more importantly, his teams have won titles. 

And through all the noise, before games and after, winning titles is what it is all about. NC State’s win over UNC means there is one less undefeated team in league play. Virginia Tech and Louisville join the Wolfpack atop the ACC standings. NCSU plays both in January (in a span of four days). The Tar Heels have games with both looming as well. What happens this month will go a long way towards telling the tale. 

Reynolds may be a small arena, but it has plenty of room to hang more banners. 

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MCLAMB: Talk The Talk, Walk The Walk

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