By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina women’s basketball released its non-conference schedule for 2026-27, and it includes nine opponents visiting Carmichael Arena along with a schedule of high-profile road tests to open the season.
Carolina’s season begins when the Tar Heels take on Oklahoma in the 2026 Oui-Play in Paris on Nov. 2. The matchup at Adidas Arena marks one of the first games of the entire women’s basketball season.
The marquee opponents don’t let up from there. On Nov. 8, Carolina returns to North Carolina for the Ally Tipoff in Charlotte, squaring off against South Carolina at the Spectrum Center.
Fans in Chapel Hill get their first look at the team on Nov. 11, when N.C. Central visits Carmichael Arena for the home opener. From there, the Tar Heels hit the road again on Nov. 14 for a historic first meeting with Penn at the Palestra.
UNC then heads to Florida for the 2026 WBCA Challenge, a two-game set at Disney World in Orlando. The Tar Heels face Texas Tech on Nov. 19 and Alabama on Nov. 21, giving Carolina matchups against four SEC opponents and one Big 12 opponent on the schedule, all of whom advanced to at least the NCAA tournament’s second round a year ago.
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November wraps with a three-game homestand at Carmichael, including a Black Friday matchup. Carolina hosts Gardner-Webb on Nov. 24, Army on Nov. 27 and Brown on Nov. 29.
December opens with the SEC/ACC Women’s Challenge, as LSU visits Chapel Hill on Dec. 2 for the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs and the first in Carmichael Arena.
Tar Heel great Charlotte Smith brings her Elon squad to Chapel Hill on Dec. 6, followed by Winthrop on Dec. 9 and Norfolk State on Dec. 21. UNCW closes out the non-conference slate on Dec. 28.
The Tar Heels will play 18 home games, marking the program’s most home games since 2017–18.
| Date | Day/ month | Times/ scores | Opponent/event (current rank) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |||
| 18 | Sunday | W, 76–66 | vs. Davidson | |
| 24 | Saturday | L, 72–68 | at No. 20 Maryland | |
| November | Regular season | |||
| 2 | Monday | L, 91–79 | Oui-Play in Paris vs. No. 21 Oklahoma | 0–1 |
| 8 | Sunday | 5:30 | Ally Tipoff in Charlotte vs. No. 1 South Carolina | ESPN |
| 11 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. N.C. Central | ACCNE |
| 14 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at Penn in Palestra | ESPN+ |
| WBCA Showcase | Orlando | |||
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. Texas Tech | ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 5 p.m. | vs. Alabama | ESPN+ |
| ——— | ||||
| 24 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Gardner-Webb | ACCNE |
| 27 | Friday | 7 p.m. | vs. Army | ACCNE |
| 29 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | vs. Brown | ACCN |
| December | ||||
| 2 | Wednesday | 7:15 | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge vs. No. 9 LSU | ESPN2 |
| 6 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Elon | ACCN |
| 9 | Wednesday | 11 a.m. | vs. Winthrop | ACCNE |
| 13 | Sunday | 6 p.m. | vs. No. 25 N.C. State | ESPN |
| 17 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| 21 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Norfolk State | ACCN |
| 28 | Monday | 8 p.m. | vs. UNCW | ACCN |
| 31 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Syracuse | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Clemson | The CW |
| 7 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 10 | Sunday | 3 p.m. | at No. 7 Louisville | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 17 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | vs. Boston College | ACCN |
| 21 | Thursday | 8 p.m. ET | at California | ACCN |
| 24 | Sunday | 2 p.m. ET | at Stanford | ESPN, 2 or U |
| 28 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. No. 13 Notre Dame | ESPN |
| 31 | Sunday | 5 p.m. | vs. No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| February | ||||
| 4 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ACCNE |
| 7 | Sunday | 6 p.m. | vs. Virginia Tech | ACCN |
| 14 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at SMU | ACCNE |
| 18 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Pittsburgh | ACCN |
| 21 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Florida State | The CW |
| 25 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | vs. Virginia | ACCN |
| 28 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 3–7 | Wed.-Sun. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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