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UNC basketball ACC schedule: What are the Tar Heels’ toughest games?

Rodd Baxley, Fayetteville Observer
·4 min read

North Carolina basketball filled in the gaps on its 2023-24 schedule with the release of the ACC slate, which was announced Tuesday night on ACC Network.

The Tar Heels enter their third year under head coach Hubert Davis after one of the most disappointing seasons in program history. Following an appearance in the 2022 NCAA championship, UNC missed the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

The Heels brought in seven newcomers to join returning starters Armando Bacot and RJ Davis. UNC’s nonconference schedule includes games against Kentucky, UConn and Tennessee.

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UNC will have home and road games against Duke, NC State, Clemson, Florida State, Miami and Syracuse. The Heels will also welcome Louisville, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest to the Dean E. Smith Center. On the road, UNC will face Boston College, Georgia Tech, Pitt and Virginia to round out its 20-game league schedule.

Here’s a look at our predictions for UNC’s six toughest ACC games, followed by the Tar Heels’ full 2023-24 schedule.

Jan. 6: at Clemson

Last season: UNC won 91-71 at the Dean E. Smith Center

The buzz: The Tigers only have one win against the Heels in Chapel Hill, but UNC will be making a trip to Littlejohn Coliseum this season. The teams have split the last four meetings at Clemson and the Tigers should be among the top teams in the ACC this season behind PJ Hall and Syracuse transfer Joe Girard.

Feb. 24: at Virginia

Last season: UNC lost 65-58 at Virginia and won 71-63 at the Dean E. Smith Center before a 68-59 loss in the ACC Tournament.

The buzz: Virginia handed UNC its final loss of the 2022-23 season, winning two of three games against the Heels. UNC has lost eight in a row in Charlottesville and hasn’t earned a win at Virginia since 2012. The Hoos have won seven of the last 10 games against the Heels.

Feb. 3 and March 9: vs/at Duke

Last season: Duke won twice, earning a 63-57 win in Durham and a 62-57 victory in Chapel Hill

The buzz: After beating Duke in the 2022 Final Four, UNC lost both games in Jon Scheyer’s first year as head coach of the Blue Devils. Both losses contributed to sealing the Tar Heels’ fate as a team on the outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament. There’s a reason this is the best rivalry in college basketball

Feb. 10 and Feb. 26: vs/at Miami

Last season: Miami won 80-72 at the Dean E. Smith Center

The buzz: UNC has won five of the last seven against the Hurricanes, but Miami rides a two-game winning streak into this season. Coming off a Final Four appearance, the Canes look capable of having a similar run this season with Nijel Pack, Wooga Poplar and Norchad Omier leading the way. Both games will be tough.

UNC basketball schedule

  • Oct 27 vs. St. Augustine’s (preseason game, Chapel Hill)

  • Nov 6 vs. Radford (Chapel Hill)

  • Nov 12 vs. Lehigh (Chapel Hill)

  • Nov 17 vs. UC Riverside (Chapel Hill)

  • Nov 22 vs. Northern Iowa (Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island in The Bahamas)

  • Nov 23 vs. Texas Tech or Villanova (Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island in The Bahamas)

  • Nov 24 vs. Arkansas, Memphis, Michigan or Stanford (Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island in The Bahamas)

  • Nov 29 vs. Tennessee (ACC-SEC Challenge in Chapel Hill)

  • Dec 2 vs. Florida State

  • Dec 5 vs. Connecticut (Jimmy V Classic in New York)

  • Dec 16 vs. Kentucky (CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta)

  • Dec 20 vs. Oklahoma (Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte)

  • Dec 29 vs. Charleston Southern (Chapel Hill)

  • Jan. 2 at Pitt

  • Jan. 6 at Clemson

  • Jan. 10 at NC State

  • Jan. 13 vs. Syracuse

  • Jan. 17 vs. Louisville

  • Jan. 20 at Boston College

  • Jan. 22 vs. Wake Forest

  • Jan. 27 at Florida State

  • Jan. 30 at Georgia Tech

  • Feb. 3 vs. Duke

  • Feb. 6 vs. Clemson

  • Feb. 10 at Miami

  • Feb. 13 at Syracuse

  • Feb. 17 vs. Virginia Tech

  • Feb. 24 at Virginia

  • Feb. 26 vs. Miami

  • March 2 vs. NC State

  • March 5 vs. Notre Dame

  • March 9 at Duke

  • March 12-16 at ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball ACC schedule: What are the Tar Heels’ toughest games?