N.C. State has agreed in principle to a home-and-away series with Marquette that should immediately upgrade its men's basketball schedule, athletic director Lee Fowler said today.

Though the contract hasn't been completed, Marquette has agreed to play at N.C. State on Dec. 22. The Wolfpack will return the trip the following season.

Getting the 2008-09 game was critical for N.C. State because it lost an opportunity to play an ACC-Big Ten Challenge game when it received the No. 12 ACC tournament seed last season.

The ACC's lowest seed is left out of the ACC-Big Ten each season because the Big Ten has one fewer team than the ACC. N.C. State contacted a number of schools in hopes of replacing the high-profile Big Ten opponent before landing Marquette.

"We are trying to play good people," Fowler said.

N.C. State's 2008-09 nonconference schedule also includes games at New Orleans on Nov. 15 for the season opener, against Davidson on Dec. 6 at Charlotte's Time Warner Cable Arena, home against East Carolina on Dec. 16, and at Florida on Jan. 3.

The ACC expects to release the full schedule for all its schools some time after Aug. 15.

In 2009-10, N.C. State is scheduled to play home against Florida and visit Arizona and Marquette. Fowler also expects to get an ACC-Big Ten Challenge home game in 2009-10.

Arizona will visit N.C. State in 2010-11.