By R.L. Bynum
Coach Michael Malone’s first non-conference schedule as Carolina’s men’s basketball coach is coming into focus.
The only parts of that 14-game non-league schedule that are official are the Nov. 13 home game against Georgia, the Dec. 19 matchup at Madison Square Garden in the CBS Sports Classic against Kentucky, a home game in November or December against Butler and a game at Georgetown.
In addition, UNC will meet an SEC opponent on either Dec. 1 or Dec. 2, likely at home, in the ACC/SEC Challenge
Alex Rosinski, who reports on schedules for all of men’s college basketball, has revealed five other matchups.
According to his reporting, UNC has at least five home games in November, starting with the Monday, Nov. 2, game against Western Carolina and the Friday, Nov. 6, contest against Wofford.
There are two home games in the second week of the regular season. UNC faces Wyoming on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and that matchup with the Bulldogs is on the Friday of that week. The week before Thanksgiving, Carolina meets Marshall on Friday, Nov. 20.
December’s schedule starts with the ACC/SEC Challenge game, with the second part of UNC’s home-and-home with Georgetown scheduled for Dec. 12 in Washington, the Dec. 19 game against Kentucky and the Monday, Dec. 21 home contest with The Citadel on Christmas week.
According to Rosinski, Western Carolina, Wofford and Marshall are guaranteed $90,000 for their games. The guarantee for The Citadel is $92,500, and it’s $95,000 for Wyoming.
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Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Luka Bogavac, Isaiah Denis, Derek Dixon, Kyan Evans, Jonathan Powell, James Brown, Ivan Matlekovic and Zayden High return and the players in the incoming freshman class hold in their commitment (Dylan Mingo has reopened his recruitment), which would put UNC sevenunder the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 4 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — X | G | 6–5 | 215 | |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 13 | RS senior | Henri Veesaar | 5 | 7–0 | 225 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–10 | 215 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | 2 | 6–1 | 195 |
X — Virginia Tech transfer
In transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | |
| Isaiah Denis | Sophomore | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 |
Key offseason dates
April 7 — Transfer portal opened
April 16 — Was deadline to request evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee
11:59 p.m. Tuesday — Transfer portal closes
11:59 p.m. April 26 — NBA early-entry deadline
May 8–10 — G-League Combine in Chicago
May 10 — NBA Draft Lottery
May 10–17 — NBA Draft Combine in Chicago
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
Week of June 22 (date to be determined) — NBA Draft
Nonconference schedule so far
(Other than the ACC/SEC Challenge, games without links revealed from reporting by Alex Rosinski)
(10 of 14 games)
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
Dec. 1 or 2 — vs. SEC team in ACC/SEC Challenge
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
November or December — vs. Butler
Photo by Smith Hardy
