UNC’s 2020-21 basketball schedule is out. Here are the games you won’t want to miss

North Carolina released its men’s basketball schedule in conjunction with the ACC’s release of its conference slate on Tuesday. The Tar Heels are ready to get started to erase the lingering memories of an uncharacteristic 14-19 record last season, the only losing season in coach Roy Williams’ career.

The ACC at one point during the summer entertained only playing a league schedule in an attempt to safeguard its schools from the coronavirus. When that idea lost steam, UNC only had room for only two games -- College of Charleston and Elon --in non-conference play with the ACC schedule expanded to 20 games last season.

“It is a difficult and challenging schedule to say the least,” Williams said in a release from the school. “We have a young team with a number of freshmen who are going to get a lot of playing time, and those are the type teams that you’d like to have some scrimmages and exhibition games that none of us have this season. But that’s the world we live in.”

Carolina’s freshman class, headlined by point guard Caleb Love and forward Day’Ron Sharpe, is considered by most recruiting analysts to be one of the top three in the country. They won’t have much time to get acclimated to playing college basketball before playing high-level teams.

The Heels were locked in to playing the Maui Invitational, which was moved to Asheville this year due to COVID-19 concerns; Ohio State in the CBS Classic, which will be played in Cleveland; and at Iowa in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The ACC format features home and home games against UNC’s permanent rivals, Duke and N.C. State. The four teams it also plays home-and-home with are Clemson, Florida State, Miami and Syracuse. Then the Heels have four road-only visits to Virginia, Boston College, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech and four home-only games against Louisville, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and Wake Forest.

UNC’s can’t-miss basketball game

With the uncertainty of how COVID-19 could lead to postponements or cancellations, they’re all can’t-miss games right? No? Well, you’ll have to wait a while for the can’t miss game because Duke doesn’t visit the Smith Center until the final game of the season on March 6. This one matters more than the first meeting with the Blue Devils will because of the way UNC lost the 98-96 thriller in overtime last season. Obviously, there’s no way it can truly be avenged, but this home meeting is the one specific game many Tar Heel fans need to be played and need to be won.

Toughest stretch for North Carolina

UNC closes the schedule at home with defending ACC champion Florida State, a road trip to Syracuse and a return home for the finale against Duke. But there are actually three games that appear to be a tougher road trip than that. Near the start of February, the Tar Heels travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face Duke -- although currently, the school has announced it will not have fans for winter sports -- then return home for a Miami squad that will be much-improved and led by senior guard Chris Lykes. Then the Tar Heels go back on the road to Virginia, where North Carolina has not won since a 54-51 victory on Feb. 25, 2012.

Easiest stretch for UNC

There aren’t many “breathers” built into the schedule, especially since the non-conference portion was cut down. And realistically, after last season’s losses piled up, the Tar Heels probably won’t be looking at the schedule and counting their wins before playing. That being said, the transition from January to February with games at Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and at Clemson may be the only three-game stretch they face against teams in the lower half of the ACC.

UNC basketball’s non-conference test

The Tar Heels will have multiple chances to prove their mettle before league play begins with a possible game against No. 19 Texas in the Maui Invitational and their CBS Classic game against No. 23 Ohio State. But neither of those figure to be as tough, on paper anyway, as the ACC/Big Ten Challenge clash at Iowa. The Hawkeyes feature Luka Garza, who by most accounts is the preseason frontrunner for national Player of the Year. The 6-foot-11 center averaged 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds last season, which earned him first-team all-America honors as well as Big Ten Player of the Year.

UNC 2020-21 basketball schedule

(+) — Maui Invitational in Asheville, NC

(*) — ACC games

This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 11:15 AM.

C.L. Brown

The News & Observer

C.L. Brown covers the University of North Carolina for The News & Observer. Brown brings more than two decades of reporting experience including stints as the beat writer on Indiana University and the University of Louisville. After a long stay at the Louisville Courier-Journal, where he earned an APSE award, he’s had stops at ESPN.com, The Athletic and even tried his hand at running his own website, clbrownhoops.com.