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Last season, North Carolina had a challenging yet manageable non-conference slate. However, that changes this season with Michael Malone at the helm.
Everything about the 2026–27 non‑conference slate suggests a different kind of test — not just who UNC plays, but when and where. Marquee names, high‑stakes neutral sites, and even a familiar in‑state annoyance are scattered across the early calendar, turning what used to be a slow build into something closer to a weekly examination of who the Tar Heels really are.
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The shift isn’t obvious at first glance. There are still regional opponents, buy games, and dates that look routine on a schedule release. But tucked in between them are matchups that carry the weight of recent March runs, conference reputations, and long memories from past meetings. It’s the kind of mix that can turn an ordinary Wednesday night into the sort of evening people remember in March.
Here are three takeaways from the released non‑conference slate, along with the full schedule and what each team accomplished last season.
It’s harder than last year’s
Mar 27, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; The North Carolina Tar Heels logo on the video board during practice prior to NCAA Tournament at West Regional at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Last season, UNC had some challenging matchups against Kansas, Michigan State, Kentucky and Ohio State. However, while all four made the NCAA Tournament, only two of those games were against ranked opponents, and the rest of the schedule featured Quad 3 and Quad 4 opponents.
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This season is going to be much different, as six of UNC’s opponents (Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, NC State and West Virginia) won 20 or more games last season, and all but West Virginia made the NCAA Tournament.
Of those six teams, Arkansas, Illinois and Kentucky will all likely be in the top 25 going into the 2026-27 season.
UNC will take on a Final Four team
Apr 3, 2026; Indianapolis,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/unc-basketball-3-big-takeaways-210309100.html
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Publish date : 2026-07-01 21:03:00
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