BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — When North Carolina’s Courtney Banghart and Duke’s Kara Lawson took over their respective programs in back-to-back seasons, the questioning was loud. Could they return the ACC powers to prominence? Carry them deep into the NCAA tournament? Pour more fuel on the the UNC-Duke rivalry?
“When you take these jobs, you know that, and you hear it early,” said Banghart, who took over in 2019 after one NCAA tournament appearance in four seasons. “You sort of say, 'OK, yeah, it is important to put yourself and this program in its rightful place.' Kara and I have done that to the point where we’re now playing for the first time ever in an NCAA tournament.