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UNC Basketball Roundtable: Which non-conference game will be the toughest?

zack pearson
·2 min read
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As North Carolina gets set to open up the 2023-24 college basketball season, we wanted to look at the schedule ahead for Hubert Davis and his Tar Heels.

They will open up the season by hosting Radford but do have some really tough non-conference games coming up in the months of November and December. UNC will participate in the Battle 4 Atlantis during Thanksgiving week before also playing Tennessee, UConn, Kentucky, and Oklahoma among others.

The stretch from November 22nd to December 20th looks like this:

  • Nov. 22: Battle 4 Atlantis

  • Nov. 23: Battle 4 Atlantis

  • Nov. 24: Battle 4 Atlantis

  • Nov. 29: vs. Tennessee

  • Dec. 2: vs Florida State (ACC)

  • Dec. 5: vs. UConn (New York)

  • Dec.  16: vs. Kentucky (Atlanta)

  • Dec. 20: vs. Oklahoma (Charlotte)

That’s one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the entire country and will be a challenging one for the Tar Heels.

But which game is the toughest? The Tar Heels Wire staff gave their predictions the latest round table ahead of the season.

Zack Pearson: Tennessee

Mar 23, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes works the bench against the Florida Atlantic Owls in the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes works the bench against the Florida Atlantic Owls in the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

There are a few different ones to choose from here but I believe the toughest one will actually be a home game. It will be against Tennessee in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.

The Volunteers are going to be a really good team and one of the favorites to win the SEC this season. Yes, the game is at home but Rick Barnes will have his team ready to play in the Dean Dome.

Richard Adkins: Kentucky Wildcats

Dec 31, 2022; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari claps during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2022; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari claps during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

The most challenging non-conference game for UNC is the Kentucky Wildcats. They might not be coming off a national championship like UCONN, but they are a true blue that fans have already been anticipating to play. The hype and history of the two historic programs make this the toughest non-conference game for UNC from a physical and mental standpoint.

Aidan Jensen: UConn

Mar 31, 2023; Houston, TX, USA; <a class="link " href="https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/teams/connecticut/" data-i13n="sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link" data-ylk="slk:Connecticut Huskies;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0">Connecticut Huskies</a> head coach Dan Hurley gestures during a practice session the day before the Final Four of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

I would normally say Tennessee, but that’ll be at home in front of a raucous Dean Dome crowd. I’ll have to go with the defending National Champions in UConn. The Huskies don’t have Adama Sanogo or Jordan Hawkins from last year, but return plenty of fresh, young talent. Donovan Clingan will be one of the best centers in college hoops.

Story originally appeared on Tarheels Wire