UNC basketball released their full non-conference schedule yesterday, and it’s clear Michael Malone’s first Carolina squad will be tested before he even gets into ACC play. The schedule features several big names, a couple good rivalry games, and ample opportunities to catch the Heels in person without having to leave the state of North Carolina. Let’s dive deeper the Heels’ schedule.
Preseason
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The Heels will open up with three preseason matchups. Malone seems to have decided that since these won’t count against the UNC’s record, he will test his team early. UNC will play two Big Ten opponents in October before finishing with an easier matchup with UNC Charlotte. All three games are in different locations: they start with Southern Cal in Greensboro, travel to Indiana to play the Hoosiers in Indianapolis before closing the preseason out at home against the 49ers. I like that fact that Malone is challenging his team early even though the games don’t count.
Marquee Matchups
Arkansas (December 1st): Any game against John Calipari is usually a big game. Calapari has revived the Razorbacks, taking them to the Sweet Sixteen each of his first two seasons. Arkansas lost several high impact players to the portal, but brings in the number one freshman class in the country. I’d say catching the Hogs early might be a good thing before the team has a chance to gel, but UNC will also have a lot of new pieces. As an added extra bit of drama, this will be UNC’s game in the ACC-SEC Challenge.
N.C. State (December 15th): A non-conference game against a conference rival is yet another oddity that comes from conference realignment. Al Hood does a good job of breaking down the particulars of why this game is happening here. That being said, a non-conference game against a major in-state rival in a neutral setting (the game will be in Greensboro) should definitely be an interesting matchup for the Heels. The Wolfpack are also breaking in a new coach after Will Wade bolted to LSU after only one season with State. If that’s not enough drama for you, it’ll be the first time UNC guard Matt Able will get to face his former team.
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Kentucky (December 19th): Carolina will face fellow blue blood Kentucky in New York City as part of the CBS Sports Classic. Kentucky coach Mark Pope already finds himself a bit on the hot seat entering his third season as UK’s coach after his team seemed to take a step back last season. The Wildcats finished the season 22-14 overall and earned a seven seed in the NCAA tournament; they survived their first-round matchup against Santa Clara in OT before getting blown out by Iowa State. Kentucky fans are not known to be patient; my guess is this will be an early measuring stick game for both fan bases.
Illinois (Jan 3oth): I really love non-conference matchups in the middle of the conference schedules. It seems like the narrative of which conferences are good (or bad) is set by the end of December; I personally think it’s good to have another outside data point for NCAA tournament selections. Illinois was very good last year, spending much of the season ranked in the top ten and finishing second in the Big Ten. The Illini would go on to make the Final Four before bowing out to UConn; if you believe the betting websites, they will be UNC’s toughest non-conference opponent and are among the favorites to win the national championship. There will probably be a lot of orange in the crowd at this game in Nashville, TN, making it feel like an NCAA tournament game.
Potentially Frisky Opponents
Georgia (November 13th): The Bulldogs had a solid season last year in a deep SEC. They finished a respectable 22-11 overall and earned an eight seed in the NCAA tournament. Georgia will have three of their top four scorers returning, giving them an edge in continuity over a UNC team that will probably still be finding their footing. The game being held at the Dean Dome should help.
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West Virgina (November 27th): UNC continues their North Carolina road trip with a matchup against the Mountaineers in Charlotte. The game will be held in the Spectrum Center and be part of the Dick Vitale Invitational. While WVU wasn’t great last year, they did finish the season on a hot streak by winning the College Basketball Crown tournament. Also worth noting: the Heels have never beaten West Virginia in basketball.
Georgetown (December 12th): Carolina plays their only true road game on their non-conference schedule against the Hoyas after Georgetown came to Chapel Hill last year. UNC won that game pretty handily, 81-61. Ed Cooley hasn’t really been able to turn around the program and it’s not likely they will be much better this upcoming season. Still, a true road game early in the season is never a game to take for granted, particularly against an experienced coach.
Everyone Else
The Heels have a new coach, mostly new roster, and will likely play a different style of basketball under Malone; as such, it’d be foolish to take anyone on the schedule for granted, particularly early in the season. That being said, most of the Heels remaining opponents are names that should fit in the “tuneup” category. Wyoming could potentially be interesting, as there’s usually a couple Mountain West teams that are feisty in any given year. The Butler game will also probably draw some attention, as the Bulldogs’ name still has some clout. However, they’re a long way away from the Brad Stevens era and haven’t made the NCAA tournament since 2018 (in fairness, they probably would have had a decent shot of making the canceled 2020 tourney). The Monmouth game will feature former UNC point guard King Rice on the sidelines, but the Hawks shouldn’t pose a threat. The non-conference schedule also features matchups against Western Carolina, Marshall, Wofford, and The Citadel; a loss in any of those games probably means the Michael Malone era is off to a slower start than expected.
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Overall, it’s a good no-conference schedule for the Heels. Personally, I would have preferred one more true road game (preferably against a better opponent), but I understand the idea that Malone may want to ease his squad into the season. Eight of UNC’s first nine games (that count) are at home, while the ninth is still in the state of North Carolina. In fairness, the Heels do have several neutral site games that should help them get ready for the hostile ACC road crowds; the late January game against Illinois could be really fun. It’s generally a fool’s errand to predict who will be good and who won’t be in August, but the non-conference schedule should give Carolina the chance to notch some NCAA tournament resume-building wins before heading into ACC play.
The full non-conference schedule is below.
Preseason games:
Oct 9 vs. Southern California (Greensboro, NC)
Oct 18 vs. Indiana (Indianapolis, IN)
Oct 27 vs. Charlotte
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Regular season games:
Nov 2 vs. Western Carolina
Nov 6 vs. Wofford
Nov 10 vs. Wyoming
Nov 13 vs. Georgia
Nov 20 vs. Marshall
Nov 23 vs. Monmouth
Nov 27 vs. West Virginia (Charlotte, NC)
Dec 1 vs. Arkansas
Dec 6 vs. Butler
Dec 12 at Georgetown
Dec 15 vs. NC State (Greensboro, NC)
Dec 19 vs. Kentucky (New York City, NY)
Dec 21 vs. The Citadel
Jan. 30 vs. Illinois (Nashville, TN)
