By R.L. Bynum
Coach Michael Malone’s first North Carolina team will get early measuring sticks before ACC play begins, with a non-conference schedule that mixes exhibition tune-ups and high-profile showcase games.
UNC released the entire men’s basketball non-conference schedule on Thursday, although most of it was already known. See the full non-conference schedule below the story.
The first chance to see the new-look Tar Heels, built largely through the transfer portal and overseas recruiting, will be neutral-site exhibition games. UNC faces Southern Cal at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, in Greensboro, then travels to meet Indiana on Sunday, Oct. 18, in Indianapolis. They’ll play one home exhibition, on Tuesday, Oct. 27, against Charlotte.
The regular season begins Monday, Nov. 2, against Western Carolina, the first of several home games, including against Wofford on Friday, Nov. 6, and Wyoming on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Georgia visits on Friday, Nov. 13, and Marshall follows on Friday, Nov. 20. The stretch of six home games in three weeks concludes on Monday, Nov. 23, when UNC welcomes Monmouth, coached by former UNC guard King Rice.
Before Thursday’s announcement, the only games that weren’t known were the exhibition against Charlotte and the Monmouth game.
“It’s a very competitive schedule, and obviously we have to start getting ready for the following year’s schedule,” Malone said Wednesday in Greensboro for the announcement of the December game against N.C. State. “But I am a coach, I’m not afraid to play people. We’ll play the best teams. I’m looking forward to scheduling those types of games because we want to put our best foot forward, and we want to compete against the best and give our fans something they can truly get excited about.”
The Tar Heels then head to Charlotte for the Dick Vitale Invitational on Nov. 27, where they’ll face West Virginia in a Black Friday matchup named for the longtime ESPN broadcaster.
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December brings the heaviest concentration of marquee opponents.
UNC opens the month in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Tuesday, Dec. 1, against Arkansas, No.13 in last season’s final poll, at home, just a week after the West Virginia game. Butler comes to Chapel Hill on Sunday, Dec. 6, before the Tar Heels hit the road to face Georgetown on Saturday, Dec. 12.
Dec. 15 brings the debut of the Tobacco Road Classic, a non-conference game against N.C. State played at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, evoking the old Big Four Tournament era.
Four days later, on Saturday, Dec. 19, Carolina meets Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic in New York, with tipoff at 2:30 p.m. and the game airing nationally on CBS. On Monday, Dec. 21, there is a home game against The Citadel.
The schedule’s final non-conference test comes well into the new year, when UNC travels to Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday, Jan. 30, to face No. 5 Illinois in the Nashville Hoops Showdown. The late-arriving showcase game will offer one more data point on where Malone’s rebuilt roster stands heading into the stretch run of ACC play.
Between the two exhibitions, two showcase events in Charlotte and New York, a pair of true road games, and matchups against three ranked opponents, the slate gives Malone’s first Carolina team little room to ease into the season. It’s a fitting complement to a roster he began building the day he was hired, on the same day the transfer portal opened.
| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Freshman | Maximo Adams (MAX-ih-mo) | F | 6–7 | 220 |
| 30 | Freshman | Malloy Smith | G | 6–5 | 180 |
| 21 | Freshman | Sayon Keita (SIGH-on KAY-tuh) | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 5 | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–6 | 205 |
| 35 | Sophomore | Cade Bennerman — U | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 17 | Sophomore | Neo Avdalas — W (NEE-oh ahv-DOLL-lus) | G | 6–9 | 220 |
| 2 | Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 185 |
| 3 | Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–5 | 200 |
| 22 | Junior | Alex Samodurov (SAH-muh-DUHR-off) | C | 6–11 | 225 |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 180 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young (JAY-din) | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson (JARE-in) | F | 6–10 | 220 |
| 14 | Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — Z (BRIZZ-ee) | G | 6–3 | 200 |
| 54 | Graduate | Cameron Fens — V (Fenz) | C | 7–0 | 255 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 99 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | F | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | G | 6–1 | 200 |
V — South Dakota transfer; U — Northwestern transfer; W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — Utah transfer; Z — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.
Coach Michael Malone’s coaching staff — Associate head coach Chuck Martin; assistant coaches Bryan Tibaldi (tih-BALL-dee), Sean May, Jorge Sanz (HOR-hey sahnth), Pat Sullivan and Brandon Robinson; Director of player development Deon Thompson.
Former players at other schools
| Player | Class | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 | Pacific |
UNC schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday, ACCN | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | 7:30 Tuesday, ACCN Extra | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday, 7 p.m. | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday, 7:30, ESPN2 | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday afternoon | at Georgetown |
| 15 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| 30 | Wednesday | vs. California |
| January | ||
| 2 | Saturday | at Boston College |
| 5 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | at Louisville |
| 9 | Saturday | vs. N.C. State |
| 13 | Wednesday | at Florida State |
| 16 | Saturday | vs. Stanford |
| 19 | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia |
| 23 | Saturday | at Syracuse |
| 26 | Tuesday | vs. SMU |
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
| February | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Notre Dame |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. Louisville |
| 13 | Saturday, 5:30, ABC | at No. 4 Duke |
| 20 | Saturday | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. No. 24 Miami |
| 27 | Saturday | at Virginia Tech |
| March | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
