NC State announces men's basketball non-conference schedule
NC State men’s basketball team is eager to bounce back from last season’s last-place finish in the ACC. Before doing so, they will have to navigate an eleven-game non-conference schedule announced by the Wolfpack Monday afternoon in a press release.
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The schedule is highlighted by the program’s trip to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis. This is the first time the Wolfpack will play in the tournament since 2017 when it pulled off a major upset over Arizona.
Butler, BYU, Dayton, Kansas, Tennessee, USC and Wisconsin will also be in the Bahamas for the tournament, providing NC State with an excellent opportunity to boost its non-conference strength of schedule. The program will play three total games on the road trip.
Vanderbilt is the only power-five program on the schedule other than the Battle 4 Atlantis slate, and the Wolfpack will host no opponents from major conferences at home. NC Stat will face the Commodores Dec. 17 in Chicago.
The SEC program finished the 2021 season 19-17. They were 7-11 in their conference and made it to the quarterfinals of the NIT. Star sophomore Scotty Pippen Jr. turned pro after finishing second in the conference in scoring at 20.4 points per game and now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.
NC State starts its season Nov. 7 with a home matchup against Austin Peay before following that up with a game against Campbell Nov. 11. Showdowns with FIU and Elon follow the next week before the team embarks on its trip to the Bahamas.
“The Pack returns to Raleigh for three games after Thanksgiving,” NC State’s statement read. “NC State will host William & Mary on Wednesday, Nov. 30, will welcome Coppin State to Reynolds Coliseum on Tuesday, Dec. 6 for the program’s annual Heritage Game and will close out the home portion of its non-conference schedule on Tuesday, Dec. 13 when Furman comes to PNC Arena.”
After finishing in last place in the ACC during the 2021-2022 season, NC State was left out of the ACC/B1G Challenge this year, which hurts the program’s overall strength of schedule.
Vanderbilt is the final game of the non-conference schedule before the team launches into its 20-game ACC slate. NC State will announce the dates for its in-conference matchups later in the year. Here’s what we know so far about the schedule.
“NC State’s 20-game ACC schedule includes home-and-home matchups with Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina and Wake Forest,” NC State’s statement said. “The Pack will also host Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame and Pitt while playing road games at Boston College, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech.”
