By R.L. Bynum
Central Arkansas (9–24 last season) at No. 25 North Carolina (23–14), 7 p.m.
TV: ACC Network; Anish Shroff play-by-play and Chris Spatola analyst
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app);
Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Zeller analyst
KenPom: UNC No. 33 | Central Arkansas 346 of 365
EvanMiya: UNC No. 27 | Central Arkansas 361 of 365
Line: UNC -31.5
— This is one final tune-up for UNC before No. 19 Kansas comes to the Smith Center for a 7 p.m. game Friday (ACC Network). The Jayhawks, who won exhibition games at Louisville 80–72 on Oct. 24 and 71–35 at home Oct. 28 against Fort Hays State, host Green Bay in their opener at 8 p.m. Monday (ESPN+).
— Carolina still is working on the eligibility of junior Montenegrin wing Luka Bogavac, who didn’t play in either exhibition game, and has provided no updates on that process.
— Central Arkansas, which moved to Division I in 2006-07 after making the Division II tournament in 2005 and 2006, has 11 newcomers and six returners, but only three played significant minutes last season. The Bears are picked 8th in the coaches poll and 11th in the media poll for the 12-school Atlantic Sun.
— This is the first meeting between the programs as Central Arkansas becomes the 151st program to play a regular-season or NIT game in the Smith Center. The Bears are 0–2 against the ACC, with road losses last season 87–68 to Georgia Tech and 105–54 to Duke in 2019.
— This is Carolina’s first game against a current ASUN member since beating Lipscomb 84–66 in the first round of the 2018 NCAA tournament.
— 6–3 senior guard Camren Hunter played his first two seasons at Central Arkansas and is back after playing only 23 minutes over 11 games with three points at Wisconsin last season. He led the Bears in points as a freshman (14.1) and sophomore (16.9)
— Other probable starters are 6–4 redshirt freshman guard Ty Robinson, 6–6 sophomore wing Cole McCormick (8.2 points last season), 6–0 senior guard Rashad Bolden (averaged 24.3 last season at Division II Mississippi College) and 6–9 freshman forward Malchiah Marable.
— Coach John Shulman came to Central Arkansas after five years at Alabama-Huntsville, where he was 112–39 in five seasons. He was 9–24 last season, his first with the Bears. He was an assistant on current UNC assistant coach Jeff Lebo’s staffs at Tennessee and Chattanooga. They were assistant coaches together at East Tennessee.
— The most notable former Central Arkansas player is Scottie Pippen, the seven-time NBA All-Star and teammate of Michael Jordan on six NBA champion teams with the Chicago Bulls. Pippen played for the Bears from 1983 to 1987, earning NAIA All-American honors as a senior, when he averaged 23.6 points, 10 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. His No. 33 is retired.
— Carolina is 103–12 in season openers and has won 20 in a row since a loss at Santa Clara to start the 2004–05 national championship season. UNC’s last loss in a home opener was 77–69 to Hampton to start an 8–20 season in 2001–02.
— UNC split a pair of exhibition games, losing 78–76 to BYU in Salt Lake City on Oct. 24, and beating Winston-Salem State 95-53 at home on Wednesday.
— The Tar Heels’ probable starters have 89 combined college starts: 36 by Kyan Evans at Colorado State (all last season), 27 by Jarin Stevenson at Alabama (five as a freshman and 22 as a sophomore), 21 by Seth Trimble (one in 2022–23, two in 2023–24 and 18 last season) and five by Henri Veesaar at Arizona (all last season).
— Caleb Wilson is expected to become the 40th UNC freshman to start his first game since freshmen became eligible in 1972–73. The most recent were guards RJ Davis (11 points) and Caleb Love (17 points) in a 79–60 win over College of Charleston on Nov. 25, 2020. The last frontcourt player to start his first UNC game as a freshman was Armando Bacot, who had seven points in a 76–65 home win over Notre Dame on Nov. 6, 2019.
— Beginning the program’s 41st season at the Smith Center, UNC is near the 500-win mark at 489–90. The Tar Heels are 232–19 in the Smith Center in non-conference play.
UNC roster
Central Arkansas roster
Other ACC openers
Monday’s games
Charleston Southern at Virginia Tech, 7 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Binghamton at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Youngstown State at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m., ACC Network Extra
N.C. Central at N.C. State, 7 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Boston College at Florida Atlantic, 7 p.m., ESPNU
New Hampshire at Clemson, 7 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Rider at Virginia, 7 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Long Island at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Maryland Eastern Shore at Georgia Tech, 7:30, ACC Network Extra
American at Wake Forest, 8 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Tarleton State at SMU, 8 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Jacksonville at Miami, 8 p.m., ACC Network Extra
South Carolina State at No. 11 Louisville, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Cal State Bakersfield at California, 10 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Tuesday’s games
Alcorn State at Florida State, 7 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Texas at No. 6 Duke, 8:45, ESPN
Portland State at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACC Network Extra
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 10 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 17 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 9 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. East Tennessee State | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | 3 p.m. | vs. Ohio State | CBS |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | 8 p.m. | vs. East Carolina | ACCN |
| 30 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Florida State | ESPN2 |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | 2:15 | at SMU | The CW |
| 10 | Saturday | 6 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 14 | Wednesday | 9 p.m. | at Stanford | ACCN |
| 17 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at California | ACCN |
| 21 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 or 2:30 | at No. 23 Virginia | ESPN or ESPNU |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
tarheeltribune.com 