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With North Carolina’s basketball season almost here, THI concludes our series taking a healthy look at each of the Tar Heels’ nonconference opponents for the 2021-22 campaign.

UNC has 11 non-ACC games, but we will focus on 12 teams in this series, since the Heels will play one of two clubs in their second game at the Mohegan Sun in November. The series is broken into four parts, with three opponents featured in each segment. We will go in chronological order.

Here is our fourth installment:

Date: Dec. 14, 2021

Head coach: Bob Richey (Entering year five as head coach of the program)

2020-21 Record: 16-9overall, 10-5 Southern

2021 Postseason: Lost in the first round of the Big South tournament to Longwood

Returning starters:

Mike Bothwell, 6-3, Sr. G (15.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG,2.9 APG);

Alex Hunter, 5-11, Sr. G (11.1PPG, 3.6 RPG,3.6 APG);

Jalen Slawson, 6-7, Sr. F (8.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG,);

Other key returners:

Garret Hien, 6-9, So. F (4.2 PPG, 2.4RPG, 1 APG)

Jaylon Pugh, 6-0, Sr. G (3.9 PPG, 40.5% from 3)

Jonny Lawrence, 6-10, So. F (2.7, 1.4 RPG, 41.7% from 3)

Transfers:

Conley Garrison, 6-1, Gr. G (17.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 4 APG at Div II. Drury University)

Key stats: Last season Furman shot 48.7% from the field, made nearly ten three-pointers per game, and dished out 15.6 assists per game.

Keynotes: Furman was an efficient offensive team last season, ranking in the top 20 in field goal percentage, field goals made,2 point percentage, three-pointers made, and assist.

Most recent meeting: Sep. 16, 2006

All-time series: UNC leads 5-1

Preseason projection: Furman was voted to finish second in the SoCon

Furman’s primary strength:

“Furman has been the model of consistency under Coach Bob Richey. During the last four years, the Paladins have gone 51-18 in Southern Conference play and finished second or third in each season. While losing Noah Gurley to Alabama and Clay Mounce to the professional ranks leaves a couple of big holes, Furman still has an experienced roster that will again be right in the mix for a conference title.” -Joel Welser College Sports Madness.

Furman’s Primary weakness: “Coach Bob Richey will need to find some consistent pieces to build around Bothwell, Hunter, and Slawson, but there are some experienced options and some younger options with a lot of potential. If those pieces can step up, Furman can finally turn those second and third-place finishes into a first-place finish”. -Joel Welser College Sports Madness

Date: Dec. 18, Chapel Hill, NC

Head coach: Mick Cronin (Entering year three as head coach of the program)

2020-21 Record: 22-10 overall, 13-6 Pac 12

2021 Postseason: Lost in the final 4 of the NCAA Tournament to Gonzaga

Returning starters:

Jules Bernard, 6-7, Sr. G (10.3 PPG,5.1 RPG, 1.6 APG);

Tyger Campbell, 5-11, Jr. PG (10.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 5.4 APG);

Jaime Jaquez, 6-7, Jr. F (12.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.7 APG);

Johnny Juzang, 6-7, Jr. G (16 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.6 APG)

Cody Riley, 6-9, Sr. F (10 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.3 APG)

Other key returners:

David Singleton, 6-4, Sr. F (4.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG);

Jake Kyman, 6-7, Jr. F (3PPG, 1 RPG);

Jaylen Clark, 6-5, So. G (2.5 PPG 2.4 RPG)

Mac Etienne, 6-10, R-Fr. C (2.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG)

Transfers: Myles Johnson, 6-10, Sr. C (8 PPG,8.5 RPG, 2.4 BPG at Rutgers)

Possible impact freshmen: Peyton Watson,6-7, Fr. F (5-star prospect, No.12 nationally, No. 3 SF); Will Mcclendon,6-4, Fr. G (4-star prospect, No.44 nationally, No. 9 SG);

Key stats: Last season, the Bruins shot 46.1% from the field, shot 37.2% from three, and averaged 73.4 points per game.

Keynotes: Mick Cronin said the Bruins allowed opponents to shoot 50% from inside the arc last season. Rutgers transfer Myles Johnson who owns a 7-foot-7 wingspan and averaged 2.4 blocks per game last season, will help UCLA’s defense this season.

Most recent meeting: Dec. 21, 2019

All-time series: UNC leads 6-1

Preseason projection: UCLA was voted to win the Pac 12 by the media. The Bruins were also ranked No.2 in the AP preseason poll.

UCLA’s primary strength: “Obviously, we have the obvious reasons to be hopeful when you have your starting five back from a team that went to the Final Four but not just that—we have everybody from that team back, including our non-scholarship guys. To be able to add Will (McClendon)—obviously, he’s hurt, it’s unfortunate, but Peyton(Watson) and Myles (Johnson)with that group, you’ve got a lot of optimism”- Head Coach Mick Cronin.

UCLA’s Primary weakness: “It should obviously go without saying that the Bruins have the potential to be one of the best teams in college basketball in 2021-22. Few teams enjoyed as extensive of a successful March Madness resurgence as UCLA did, but the Bruins’ fortune makes it easy to forget that the Bruins also suffered some glaring missteps last season – including early-season struggles against San Diego State and Pepperdine and the four-game losing streak to end the regular season and the Pac-12 Tournament.

What adds additional concern is the fact that, for all intents and purposes, the Bruins’ roster is essentially the same as last season’s – with Johnson, Watson, and McClendon as the lone newcomers. Whether the Bruins can be consistent throughout the regular season and not falter during the Pac-12 Tournament has yet to be seen” - Benjamin Zacher, Busting Brackets.

Date: Dec. 21, Chapel Hill, NC

Head coach: Dustin Kerns (Entering year three as head coach of the program)

2020-21 Record: 17-12 overall, 7-8 Sun Belt

2021 Postseason: Lost to Norfolk St. in the round of 68

Returning starters:

Adrian Delph, 6-3 Sr. G (13 PPG, 4 RPG, 1.2APG);

Justin Forest, 6-2, Sr. G (13.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.6 APG);

Donovan Gregory, 6-5, Jr. G (10.7 PPG,6.1 RPG, 2.4 APG)

James Lewis, 6-8, Sr. F (7.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG)

Other key returners:

Michael Almonacy, 6-0, Gr. G (12.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.8 APG)

CJ Huntley, 6-10, So. C (3.3 PPG, 2.2 RPG);

RJ Duhart, 6-9, Jr. F (2.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG,)

Transfers: No Transfers

Most recent meeting: Dec. 21, 2015

All-time series: UNC leads the all-time series 4-0

Preseason projections: Appalachian St. was picked to finish sixth in the Sun Belt Conference

Key stats: The Mountaineers only shot 40.9% from the field last season; they shot 74.1% from the charity stripe and got 7.9 steals per game.

Keynotes: App St. finished last regular season, losing six of its last seven games, and went into the conference tournament as a seven seed. They then had an unlikely run and won the tournament, earning the third NCAA tournament appearance in school history.

App’s primary strength: “Though the Mountaineers lost their NCAA Tournament opener in a close 54-53 defeat, with the presence of a young core, returning experienced veterans, and with coach Kerns extended through the 2026 season, the future of the program is bright.” - Ben Brady, The Appalachian

App’s primary weakness: “All offseason, we evaluated ourselves. In the last two seasons, we are 18-3 when we score 75 points a game. We averaged 70 points a game, so we are really trying to figure out how we can get those extra six more points per game… Another part of our growth is depth. We have to be a deeper team” - Head Coach Dustin Kerns.