With matchups for this coming season’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge finally announced on June 28, a bit more of North Carolina’s nonconference schedule for the 2021-22 campaign came into focus. But it remains unfinished and likely will not be completed and revealed until the end of August, which has been the standard in recent years.
The Tar Heels are coming off an 18-11 season that included a 10-6 ACC mark. UNC advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament and were eliminated by Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Carolina returns four starters from last year’s team plus a few scholarship reserves in addition to adding Oklahoma transfer Brady Manek, who is the Sooners’ 14th all-time leading scorer, and Justin McKoy, who spent two seasons at Virginia. Also, the Heels have freshman D’Marco Dunn and Dontrez Styles.
While some things about UNC basketball are changing under new coach Hubert Davis, other traditions will not, particularly scheduling. Dean Smith and Roy Williams strongly believed in playing challenging slates outside of the ACC schedule, and so does Davis.
"I agree a lot with Coach Williams. He wanted to play anybody, anywhere,” Davis said in May on Andy Katz’ March Madness 365 Podcast. “I really feel the same way. I love competition. I love putting our guys and our team in situations to compete. Whether it's at home or on the road, we're looking for opportunities to get better as a team and be challenged individually out there on the floor.
“Our schedule this year is very challenging. We're playing UCLA in the Champions Classic in Las Vegas, we're in a tournament at Mohegan Sun with Tennessee, Purdue and Villanova. The ACC-Big Ten Challenge is always going to be against a team that has a chance to win a national championship. And then you throw in the ACC.”
Michigan is heading to the Smith Center to take on the Tar Heels on Dec. 1 for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Wolverines are coming off a 23-5 season that saw them earn a No. 1 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament and advance to the regional final before falling to UCLA.
Like Michigan, UCLA is in many preseason top five rankings and will face UNC in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas. This will be the eighth year of the event that has seen the Tar Heels go 5-2 so far, including 2-0 versus the Bruins beating them in Brooklyn in December of 2015 and Las Vegas two years ago.
UNC will take part in the Hall of Fame Tip Off Classic in Connecticut where it will open with Purdue and then face either Villanova or Tennessee. The Boilermakers were 18-10 overall and 13-6 in the Big Ten last season and are ranked among the top 10 in many preseason polls. Villanova was 18-7 overall and 11-4 in the Big East last season and is currently No. 2 in ESPN’s early poll. The Volunteers were 18-9 overall and 10-7 in the SEC, plus they are at No. 16 in the early ESPN poll.
UNC also travels to College of Charleston, which was 9-10 last season, including 6-4 in the CAA, and lost at Carolina 79-60 in November. Monmouth was 12-8 overall while only playing games in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and Ivy League teams did not play any games, so Brown’s last game came at the conclusion of the 2019-20 campaign.
Teams can play up to 31 regular season games, meaning 20 ACC contests and as many as 11 outside of league play, but that is if they participate in sanctioned events, which is the case with the Hall of Fame Tip Off Classic prior to Thanksgiving. So, with two games there, it appears the Tar Heels will play 10 non-ACC games with seven already spoken for at this time.
Below is a quick look at what we currently know is Carolina’s nonconference schedule for the coming season, but before that here is the Tar Heels’ ACC schedule breakdown:
Dates are unknown at this time, but here are UNC’s ACC opponents breakdown:
*Home-and-home series: Duke, NC State, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Louisville, and Virginia Tech.
*One game only at home versus: Florida State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Virginia
*One game only on the road at: Clemson, Miami, Notre Dame, and Wake Forest.
UNC’s Non-ACC Slate So Far
Nov. 16 - @ College of Charleston
Nov. 20 – Vs. Purdue*
Nov. 21 – Vs. Villanova or Tennessee*
Dec. 1 – Michigan
Dec. 18 – Vs. UCLA#
Date unknown: Brown
Date unknown: Monmouth
*Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic at the Mohegan Sun Resort in Uncasville, CT.
#CBS Sports Classic at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
