The UNC men’s basketball program revealed its non-conference schedule for the upcoming 2021-22 season on Tuesday, a slate highlighted by games against four preseason top-10 teams.

First-year head coach Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels — who sit at No. 13 in the NCAA.com preseason rankings — will begin the year with an exhibition at home against Elizabeth City State on Nov. 5 before officially opening the regular season in the Smith Center on Nov. 9 against Loyola (Md.).

A home game against Brown on Nov. 12 will follow, before the team takes its first road trip of the season to face College of Charleston on Nov. 16.

Next up is the Basketball Hall-of-Fame Tip-Off event in Uncasville, Connecticut — where UNC will take on No. 7 Purdue (Nov. 20) and then either Tennessee or No. 5 Villanova (Nov. 21).

UNC returns home to play UNC-Asheville on Nov. 23 as a tune-up for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge showdown against No. 9 Michigan at the Dean Dome on Dec. 1.

The first weekend of December will bring the opening of the ACC season, but UNC will get back to non-conference competition with back-to-back home contests against Elon (Dec. 11) and Furman (Dec. 14).

On Dec. 18, the Tar Heels will play preseason No. 1 UCLA as part of the CBS Sports Classic before closing their non-conference schedule at home on Dec. 21 against Appalachian State.

UNC will showcase sophomore guards Caleb Love and R.J. Davis — as well as junior forward Armando Bacot — as it also looks to get incoming transfers Dawson Garcia, Brady Manek and Justin McKoy up to speed in the frontcourt.

The Tar Heels went 6-3 in their non-conference regular season games last season on the way to an 18-11 record overall — which includes a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Wisconsin, the final game under Hall-of-Fame head coach Roy Williams.

 

Photo via ACC Media


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