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Carolina’s non-conference schedule looks daunting enough.
As usual, the first 12 games for the 2024-25 Tar Heels will give some indication of how they will fare during the ACC regular season of 20 games to follow. Hubert Davis’ fourth Carolina edition has a deceiving early slate, at least on paper.
There is an old axiom that the Heels must win 8-10 games before league play commences to have a good chance for 20 victories going into the ACC tournament in order to secure an NCAA at-large bid.
Home games against Elon, American, LaSalle and Campbell should give them four “sure wins,” as Dean Smith used to call them. Smith never disparaged any opponent but was candid when he thought his team was “more gifted.”
The first true test is a November 8 visit to Lawrence, Kansas, the start of a home-and-home series against the Jayhawks, the presumptive No. 1 team in many preseason polls. It will be UNC’s second trip to KU and the first since 1960. The Jayhawks come to Chapel Hill for the first time the following season. The blueblood programs have a combined 10 national championships (6 for the Heels, 4 for Kansas), 250 NCAA tournament wins in 105 appearances, and 37 Final Fours over the years.
There is a four-game trip to the Hawaiian Islands that begins with a November 22 visit to the University of Hawaii on Oahu, followed by the three-game Maui Invitational that returns from Honolulu to its long-time home after hurricane-induced fires destroyed much of the island.
The matchups have not been released, but the eight-team field has seven from the 2024 NCAA tournament, including two-time defending champion UConn. Other possible opponents are Auburn, Colorado, Dayton, Iowa State, Memphis and Michigan State.
So, depending how good Hawaii is, and the challenge of replacing star center Armando Bacot, the Heels could win all four out there or, more realistically, go 3-1 or 2-2. That trip looms important when you consider that winning at Kansas is a longshot.
They return home to face Alabama in the ACC-SEC Challenge, and the Crimson Tide looks to be as good, or better, than the team that bounded Carolina from the Sweet 16 in LA last season. The Tar Heels should be favored in tough games with Florida at the Jumpman Classic in Charlotte and UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden.
Going into the ACC schedule with a 12-0 record is highly unlikely, but 10-2 with losses at Kansas and one in Maui is certainly realistic for the ballclub with two returning starters (R.J. Davis and Elliot Cadeau), three veteran lettermen (Seth Trimble, Jalen Washington, Jae’Lyn Withers) and 5-star freshmen Ian Jackson and Drake Powell.
Carolina is a projected top 10 team in the preseason national rankings.
Featured image via Todd Melet
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
