UNC’s non-conference schedule for next season is starting to come together after they added Brown University to their slate for next season. The expectation is that schools will play the full allotment of non-conference games, after last season the schedule was altered due to the pandemic. Brown will join the College of Charleston, Monmouth, Purdue, and UCLA as known opponents for the upcoming season. Purdue finds itself on the schedule as they will meet in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off in Uncasville, Connecticut early in the season. The Boilermakers return a lot of production from their team last season and will be a legitimate contender in the talent loaded Big 10.UNC will then take on either Villanova or Tennessee in either the championship or the consolation game of the event. The Tar Heels won the Hall of Fame Tip-Off back in 2013, after defeating Richmond and Louisville. UCLA will take on North Carolina in this year’s edition of the CBS Sports Classic, in what figures to be one of the best matchups of the entire non-conference season. UCLA is coming off a magical run to the Final Four, and many believe the Bruins are ready to return as a staying power in college basketball.
Even with adding Brown to the schedule, Carolina still has some empty slots on their schedule to fill. We know the Tar Heels will compete once again in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge, but their opponent has yet to be announced. With the SEC/Big 12 announcing their games yesterday, it could be any day now that UNC finds out who they’ll be facing in this year’s event. Other than that, UNC doesn’t have any obligations in terms of playing teams or not. Rescheduling last year's game with Elon may be an option after the contest was postponed and then canceled due to COVID-19. Under Roy Williams, the Tar Heels always played one of the toughest non-conference slates of any team in college basketball, and while Hubert Davis may want to do the same thing, it may be harder to do so in his first season.
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