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#UNC coach Courtney Banghart and guard Indya Nivar after a convincing victory at Virginia.
Feb 27, 2026
#UNC coach Courtney Banghart and guard Indya Nivar after a convincing victory at Virginia.
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0:00
You know, hats off to Virginia. Boy, Mox
0:02
has done a great job. She's got a great
0:03
fan base, got a great team. Um, and you
0:07
know, this is a tough out um all the
0:08
time. Um, tonight was a tough out as
0:11
well. We had to really bring our best. I
0:12
can't say enough about the kid to my
0:14
left. Um, you know, we lost a lot of
0:16
kids to graduation. You know, I know in
0:18
this day in college athletics, you don't
0:19
usually have four and five year seniors.
0:21
Well, we had a lot of them. Uh, and they
0:22
graduated. Um, and then with Reniah
0:24
being out right now, you know, there's
0:26
very few pieces from that team that have
0:28
played meaningful minutes. Um, and India
0:30
just has led this team. You know,
0:31
obviously we were really young in
0:33
December. What have we won? 11 of the
0:35
last 12. And uh, they're just following
0:37
her lead. And I just could not be
0:38
prouder of her. Uh, which is why she
0:40
gets to do the media today. So, fire
0:42
away.
0:44
>> Coach, a careerhigh for Elena Arnos, 20
0:46
points, not to mention seven rebounds.
0:49
What did you see from her today? What
0:50
was working?
0:51
>> Yeah.
0:51
>> What's your impression of her?
0:52
>> First of all, she dove into the glass. I
0:53
think we need her to rebound, and, you
0:55
know, I think she had seven leading up
0:56
to this game and her whole Carolina
0:58
career. Um, and so that was just huge,
1:00
but honestly, her being aggressive is
1:02
critical uh to our offensive flow. And I
1:04
thought she was really aggressive. Um,
1:06
again, like I know it sounds really
1:08
coach, but I think um India just bleeds
1:11
confidence into people because she locks
1:12
everybody down defensively and so it
1:14
makes it a little bit easier on the
1:15
offensive end. And I think she just
1:17
keeps telling people, you got it, you
1:18
got it. So I it makes Eve feel like she
1:20
can be really aggressive and when she
1:21
is, we're better.
1:23
>> You knew at the beginning of the season
1:24
that you had a terrific perimeter
1:25
shooting team. It hasn't always worked
1:27
out, but boy, it's working out at the
1:29
perfect time the last two games and then
1:31
breaking the record finally.
1:33
>> Yeah, we keep hearing that we got so
1:34
close to breaking the record, but we
1:36
didn't do it. And so, who would have
1:37
guessed? You know, we also had 20 paint
1:38
points. Um, but you know, they had to go
1:40
to their pressure because we really
1:41
stomped on them in the first half and so
1:43
they had to kind of play over 94 feet
1:45
and we're a tough team to play over 94
1:47
feet because it just leaves more
1:48
openings on the perimeter. Um, and you
1:50
know, Leila, good friend India's again
1:52
like just wants to do it for these
1:53
seniors so bad because they've done it
1:54
the right way. uh India and Harris and
1:58
um yeah, you know, when the ball goes
1:59
in, it's a it's a good shot for us. We
2:01
call it a practice shot if it's in the
2:03
right way and it was the right way.
2:04
>> How are you getting so many open threes
2:06
or or even contested threes you were
2:08
making?
2:09
>> Yeah. Well, they had to go into their
2:10
pressure package because we stomped on
2:11
them defensively in the first half and
2:13
so they played most of the second half
2:14
in pressure and when you extend the
2:15
court over 94 feet, you know, there's a
2:17
lot more openings. It's hard to cover 94
2:19
feet with five people, right? It's much
2:20
easier to do that over 40 feet. So, um,
2:22
when they a lot of those threes came in
2:24
in our in our press break, um, or they
2:26
zoned, you know, they went to the zone
2:27
cuz we kind of tore up the man, um, and
2:29
when they went to their zone, we we
2:31
spaced them out that way. So, it's just
2:32
a mature team finally. You know, we were
2:34
really young, lots of new pieces, and
2:36
they've just trusted the process and,
2:38
you know, we put in some new looks today
2:39
that they executed really well and led
2:41
to some open shots.
2:43
>> Indian as a team, you had 21 assists on
2:45
29 field goals and you had seven
2:49
assists. Talk talk about the floor game
2:52
from you and the whole team.
2:54
>> It's a lot of gaps to attack when you
2:56
have shooters and then when I draw I
2:58
feel like I draw like three people
2:59
attacking [laughter] to the lane. It's a
3:00
clear kick out to my shooters and I
3:02
believe in them. I I give them
3:04
confidence to shoot that ball every time
3:05
and tonight we were hitting. So it just
3:07
shows to the work that we put in um day
3:10
in and day out.
3:11
>> And then what about your defense on
3:12
Kamar Johnson? You pretty much hold her
3:14
check most of the first half. She got
3:15
her votes later, but did a talk about
3:18
your job and Courtney, could you talk
3:19
about her job?
3:20
>> I'll start because I want to make sure
3:22
that we know that. So, two of those
3:23
threes, India wasn't honored. We had
3:25
guys that go under. Um, I think when we
3:27
watch back that game, which we do
3:28
because I think this is the best
3:29
defensive player because she can guard
3:31
multiple positions. Um, the times that
3:33
she's honored, there wasn't a lot of
3:34
baskets being scored. Now, that she's a
3:36
great player, high usage, but um, when
3:38
we were forced into some switches and
3:40
things like that, I think some of those
3:41
points came from not India. But anyway,
3:43
that's what I will say. Yeah, she's
3:45
ahead of the snake and we emphasize that
3:46
in our scout. Um, watch a lot of film.
3:49
She's she moves off the ball really
3:51
well. She moves with the ball really
3:52
well. So, yeah, it was a tough battle
3:54
making sure we had a body in front of
3:56
her every time. And yeah, it wasn't it
3:58
wasn't my job. Only my teammates also
3:59
took on the role to make sure they were
4:01
in my gaps in my help just in case cuz
4:02
she's a really good player. Once I took
4:04
away the three, the drive came and they
4:06
were in my help every time. [cough] So,
4:08
yeah, it was a it was a group effort for
4:09
sure.
4:12
uh make they kind of cut into the lead
4:14
in the third period. You called a
4:16
timeout. What was your message to them
4:17
and what were you seeing there?
4:19
>> Yeah, I mean we turned it over on press
4:21
break. We that was uncharacteristic. We
4:25
you know so I just wanted to settle them
4:26
back down. You know it's it's hard when
4:28
you have a big lead because then every
4:30
score feels like they're feeling good
4:32
about themselves. So I just kind of
4:33
wanted also just to to have a chance to
4:35
regroup.
4:39
Uh so so you talk about clenching the
4:43
number one number three seed in the
4:44
tournament a double buy. That was a big
4:46
goal obviously for years for for your
4:48
team and you obviously got that down.
4:49
>> Yeah, I was really happy for him. I mean
4:50
we lost two of three in December. It
4:52
felt like three of three whatever it
4:54
was. And um you know we kind of put
4:56
ourselves in a position we just kept
4:57
saying that the most dangerous teams are
4:58
the ones that keep getting better. Um
5:00
and you know as a coach there's there's
5:02
no good coach that doesn't have good
5:04
seniors or good leadership on their
5:05
team. And I have really good seniors and
5:07
really good leadership and they just
5:08
they didn't let anyone feel bad for
5:10
themselves. They didn't let themselves
5:11
feel bad for themselves. They just were
5:12
committed to to getting better every
5:14
game and see how it all turns out. Um
5:17
and so if you' asked me in December,
5:18
anybody in December, you know, the the
5:20
outright three seed, you know, I don't
5:22
know if people would have believed us,
5:23
but I think there's a lot of belief in
5:25
that locker room. U Can you tell me what
5:28
you saw with Elena in this game? I mean,
5:30
she she just did so many things for your
5:33
team.
5:34
>> Yeah. um her journey has been up and
5:37
down and I feel like she just stayed in
5:38
it. She stayed in the gym. She stayed
5:40
committed to the team and I feel like
5:42
that just shows to like you know our
5:44
team culture and how yeah everybody
5:47
stays connected through the hard times
5:48
because we all go through ups and downs
5:50
of the season and when their time comes
5:52
they shine every time.
5:53
>> So yeah, we we always feed her with
5:56
confidence even when she's down and I'm
5:58
just so proud of her today. um you know
6:00
running that point isn't easy and I feel
6:02
like today she commanded it and you know
6:04
she stayed consistent throughout the
6:06
whole game.
6:08
>> Really well said
6:09
>> and you knew it was going to be tough
6:10
inside but both Harris and Tumi got 10
6:13
points and you talk about the
6:15
>> the score you got it from your post
6:18
players. Yeah, I mean obviously se C's
6:21
uh six of them came from the three, but
6:23
you know those two kids have I mean
6:24
obviously we know what Harris has done
6:25
in our league, but Sierra you really
6:27
didn't see much time last year. It's
6:29
remarkable the improvement that she's
6:30
made and I said I've just I trusted our
6:32
recruiting and I trusted our development
6:34
in building this roster. We needed two
6:36
key pieces, we got them, but other than
6:37
that we trusted and we wanted to bring
6:39
back the pieces that we did and you know
6:41
I think that she's proved us right.
6:45
What what went well in building the
6:47
22-point lead, what what were you doing?
6:50
>> A lot of things. I thought defensively
6:52
we were playing off a off a off a stop,
6:54
right? We were really good defensively
6:56
and so when that happened um that allows
6:58
us to to play against a retreating
6:59
defense and then we were aggressive. You
7:01
know, we've got a lot of guys that are
7:02
aggressive, we sort of have found our
7:04
our way there. Um but you know, you give
7:06
up 23 points in the first half, you're
7:08
going to be winning, you hope, you know,
7:10
um and we were. Um, and [clears throat]
7:11
so live ball stops that forced them to
7:13
get into their zone and then we kind of
7:15
sliced apart their zone. We were ready
7:16
for their zone. We were ready for their
7:18
man and more importantly our players
7:19
were ready, you know, which they proved
7:22
um and stepped up and made big shots.
7:24
Again, I this group would do anything
7:26
for these two seniors and they proved it
7:27
tonight.
7:28
>> You may not know, but do you think we'll
7:30
see her again this season?
7:31
>> I hope so. Yeah, I mean you see her out
7:33
there now, right? I don't know if she I
7:34
don't know if she warmed up with you
7:35
guys or what not, but yeah, we hope so.
7:39
>> Awesome. Thanks. Both place stance.