Last week UNC added Brown to their 2021 non-conference portion of their schedule, and today their schedule took one step closer to being finalized. The ACC/Big 10 Challenge matchups were announced today, and UNC will host a familiar foe in Michigan. This is the third time since 2016 that the Tar Heels and the Wolverines have faced off in the challenge, as a rivalry from the 1990s has resurfaced. The matchup will take place on Wednesday, December 1st, although the time has yet to be announced. The addition of Michigan to the schedule only strengthens their non-conference slate that already has Purdue, either Villanova or Tennessee, and UCLA on the docket.
UNC”s struggles in the challenge over the last couple of years have dipped their record to 10-12 overall. Despite having beaten Michigan for the national title in 1993, they only have a 4-3 mark against the Big 10 school. Michigan won the most recent matchup between the two schools back at the Battle 4 Atlantis in 2019, after the two schools split contests in 2017-18.
The Tar Heels still have two open spots on their non-conference schedule, and it's not clear what direction they will go. The ACC has yet to announce their conference schedule for next season, so it's unclear whether or not they will start the season with conference matchups like they did in 2019-20. Roy Williams always believed in challenging his team during the non-conference portion of their season, it’ll be interesting to see how closely Hubert Davis follows that model.
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