By R.L. Bynum
The ACC has approved reducing the men’s basketball conference schedule from 20 to 18 games, but the schedule will work differently from the 18-game format used last season in women’s basketball.
UNC and N.C. State could play only once in the regular season for the first time in 106 seasons.
Under the women’s schedule, teams only faced one opponent home and home (for North Carolina, it was Duke) and played every other ACC opponent once. That meant that UNC and N.C. State only played once during the regular season.
Each men’s team will play two opponents home and home. One for UNC will always be Duke, but the other will be “variable” for the Tar Heels, and that opponent for next season won’t be known until the ACC schedule is released. That will mean there will be one league team that UNC won’t face each season.
The logical second home-and-home opponent is N.C. State, but the ACC’s release suggests that this will only sometimes be the case. UNC and State have played twice in every regular season since 1920. They only played once in 1913 and 1919.
The move has been widely viewed as a way to help the league get more NCAA tournament berths after only four teams made the field last season. The ACC went to the 20-game schedule for the 2019–20 season. In March, the Big 12 reduced its conference schedule from 20 games to 18.
“Moving to an 18-game conference schedule is a direct result of our ongoing strategic review and analysis and provides our schools a better balance of non-conference and conference games, while also allowing them more autonomy in the scheduling process,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said. “This decision reflects our ongoing prioritization to do what’s best for ACC men’s basketball, and we appreciate the thoughtfulness of our membership and the support from our television partners.”
The ACC office collaborated with athletics directors, coaches, external consultants and television partners and worked with multiple experts to conduct statistical analysis to examine the conference’s basketball product, metrics and scheduling.
The first league games are expected to be scheduled for late December.
The other primary partners are: Boston College-Notre Dame, Clemson-Georgia Tech, California-Stanford, Florida State-Miami, Louisville-SMU, N.C. State-Wake Forest, Pittsburgh-Syracuse and Virginia Tech-Virginia.
The shift means that Carolina and every other ACC men’s team will schedule 13 nonconference games. Ten of the 13 opponents are already known (see schedule below).
Potential UNC roster
(Next season’s classes listed)
| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshman | Caleb Wilson (5 star) | 4 | 6–9 | 205 | |
| Freshman | Isaiah Denis (4 star) | CG | 6–5 | 175 | |
| Freshman | Derek Dixon (4 star) | CG | 6-3 | 190 | |
| Sophomore | Jonathan Powell | G | 6-6 | 191 | |
| 2 | Sophomore | James Brown | 5 | 6–8 | 225 |
| 1 | Sophomore | Zayden High | 4 | 6–9 | 225 |
| Junior | Jaydon Young | 2 | 6–4 | 205 | |
| RS junior | Henri Veesaar | 5 | 7–0 | 235 | |
| Junior | Kyan Evans | 1 | 6–2 | 175 | |
| Junior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–11 | 215 | |
| 22 | Senior | Ven-Allen Lubin | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 7 | Senior | Seth Trimble | 2 | 6–3 | 195 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 15 | Sophomore | John Holbrook | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 14 | Junior | Russell Hawkins | 2 | 6–1 | 175 |
| 6 | RS Senior | Elijah Davis | 2 | 6–4 | 197 |
UNC players entering portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elliot Cadeau | Junior | PG | 6–1 | 180 | Michigan |
| Jalen Washington | Senior | C | 6–10 | 235 | Vanderbilt |
| Ian Jackson | Sophomore | G | 6–4 | 190 | St. John’s |
| Cade Tyson | Senior | F | 6–7 | 200 | Uncommitted |
| Ven-Allen Lubin | Senior | C | 6–8 | 230 | Likely to return |
UNC schedule
Nov. 3 — vs. Central Arkansas (finished 9–24, 349th in KenPom; first meeting)
Nov. 11 — vs. Radford (20–13, 151st; UNC leads series 3–0)
Nov. 14 — vs. Kansas (21–13; 24th; lost to Arkansas in first round of NCAA tournament; series tied at 6)
Nov. 17 or 18 — vs. Navy (15–19, 276th; Navy leads 14–6)
Nov. 25 — vs. St. Bonaventure (21–11; 97th; lost to Kent State in first round of the NIT; UNC leads 1–0) in Fort Myers Tip-Off
Nov. 27 — vs. Michigan State (30–7; 7th; lost to Auburn in Elite Eight; UNC leads 13–4) in Fort Myers Tip-Off
Likely Dec. 2 or 3 — ACC/SEC Challenge game (opponent TBA; likely a road game)
Dec. 13 — USC Upstate (6–26, 340th; first meeting)
Dec. 20 — CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta against Ohio State (17–15; 37th; UNC leads 13–3)
Dec. 22 — vs. East Carolina (19–14; 176th; UNC leads 4–0)
Date TBA — vs. N.C. Central (10–19; 319th; UNC leads 3–0)
Two other nonconference games
Likely Feb. 1 or Feb. 8 — vs. Duke (35–4; 1st; UNC leads 145–120)
Likely March 7 — at Duke
Home and home vs. ACC opponent TBA
Seven other ACC home games and seven other ACC road games
Photo courtesy of the ACC
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