As UNC basketball chases NCAA title, here’s a look at its full nonconference schedule
An NCAA championship favorite with four starters returning from their national runner-up team, the North Carolina Tar Heels now know the nonconference schedule they’ll navigate while chasing a title.
Hubert Davis’ second season as UNC’s basketball coach begins Nov. 7 against UNC Wilmington at the Smith Center. The Tar Heels also have home games with College of Charleston (Nov. 11), Gardner-Webb (Nov. 15) and James Madison (Nov. 20) to open the season.
UNC plays The Citadel at the Smith Center on Dec. 13.
The Tar Heels will play in three neutral-site events, beginning with the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon during Thanksgiving week. The Phil Knight Invitational will be played on Nov. 24, 25 and 27, using the Moda Center, Veteran Memorial Coliseum and the University of Portland’s Chiles Center. Each team will play three games with Alabama, Connecticut, Iowa State, Michigan State, Oregon, Portland and Villanova joining the Tar Heels in the field.
The Tar Heels will also once again play in the CBS Sports Classic, which is scheduled for Dec. 17 at a site that’s yet to be announced. Other teams involved in the annual neutral-site doubleheader are Kentucky, UCLA and Ohio State.
The Tar Heels will play in Charlotte at the Spectrum Center on Dec. 21 in the Jumpman Invitational. Pairings have yet to be announced, but the other teams involved are Florida, Michigan and Oklahoma.
UNC’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge game this season is at Indiana on Nov. 30.
The Tar Heels went 29-10 last season in Davis’ first year as their coach following Roy Williams’ retirement. A No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament, UNC won the East Region to advance to the Final Four in New Orleans where the Tar Heels beat rival Duke, 81-77, before losing 72-69 to Kansas in the NCAA championship game.
Four starters from that team, Armando Bacot, Leaky Black, R.J. Davis and Caleb Love, are all returning to play for UNC again next season.
The Tar Heels have one home exhibition game scheduled on Oct. 28 against Johnson C. Smith at the Smith Center.
This story was originally published July 15, 2022 at 12:25 PM with the headline "As UNC basketball chases NCAA title, here’s a look at its full nonconference schedule."