ACC basketball challenges await NC State

N.C. State released the ACC portion of its basketball schedule on Wednesday. The nonconference games were announced earlier in the summer.

The highlights from the Wolfpack’s ACC slate:

1) What’s this? A home-and-home between N.C. State and Duke! What was Syracuse busy?

Good of the ACC’s scheduling computer to remember that these Triangle neighbors, who met at least twice a year every year from 1925 until 2004, are allowed to play a home-and-home. This is only the fourth time in 12 years since ACC expansion they will meet twice.

Duke has lost its last two trips to PNC Arena while N.C. State has lost 15 straight at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

2) The Wolfpack will play four of its first six ACC games on the road but will welcome Louisville, which is in its second year of conference membership, to Raleigh for the first time since Feb. 1988.

Louisville knocked N.C. State out of the NCAA tournament last March but the Cardinals have lost their last two trips to Raleigh — 101-89 in ’88 and 76-64 in ’86.

3) ESPN likes winners and after a Sweet 16 appearance last season, the Worldwide Leader has given the Wolfpack a pair of Monday games. N.C. State didn’t play any ACC games on Monday last year.

The Wolfpack will play at Florida State on Monday, Feb. 1 (on ESPNU) and at Virginia on Monday, Feb. 15 (on ESPN).

==ACC opponents==

Twice: UNC, Wake Forest, Duke, FSU

Home only: Louisville, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Miami, Boston College

Road only: Virginia, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh

==Schedule==

Nov. 8 x-Cal State-Los Angeles

Nov. 13 William & Mary

Nov. 15 South Alabama

Nov. 18 IUPUI

Nov. 23 vs. Arizona State (at Brooklyn)

Nov. 24 vs. LSU or Marquette (at Brooklyn)

Nov. 27 Winthrop

Dec. 1 Michigan

Dec. 5 Bucknell

Dec. 13 at South Florida

Dec. 16 High Point

Dec. 19 at Missouri

Dec. 22 UNCG

Dec. 29 Northeastern

Jan. 2 at Virginia Tech

Jan. 7 Louisville

Jan. 10 at Wake Forest

Jan. 13 FSU

Jan. 16 at UNC

Jan. 19 at Pitt

Jan. 23 Duke

Jan. 27 Georgia Tech

Jan. 30 Miami

Feb. 1 at FSU

Feb. 6 at Duke

Feb. 13 Wake Forest

Feb. 15 at Virginia

Feb. 20 Clemson

Feb. 24 UNC

Feb. 27 at Syracuse

March 2 Boston College

March 5 at Notre Dame

March 8-12 ACC tournament (at Washington)

Note: x-exhibition

This story was originally published September 2, 2015 at 5:19 PM.