NC State basketball releases non-conference schedule

The NC State basketball team announced the Pack’s non-conference slate for the 2023-24 season on Aug. 9. A trio of SEC opponents, all to be played away from home, highlight the schedule along with a visit from Saint Louis.

Here are the schedule details:

Nov. 6 vs. The Citadel

Last season, the Bulldogs went 10-22 overall and finished next-to-last in the 10-team Southern Conference, resulting in a final NET ranking of No. 330. With the loss of the only two players to average double digits in scoring, The Citadel will almost certainly be a low-ranked, Quad 4 opponent for NC State. Any home game below 161 is considered a Quad 4.

Nov. 10 vs. Abilene Christian

Hailing from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Abilene Christian went 13-17 overall and 7-11 in the WAC. The Wildcats had a final NET ranking of No. 204. Abilene Christian returns 3 of the top 4 scorers from last year.

Nov. 17 vs. Charleston Southern

The Pack football team played Charleston Southern early in the 2022 slate. Now NC State basketball will host the Bucs for an early contest. CSU went 10-21 a year ago and finished 5-13 in the Big South Conference, next-to-last in the 10-team league. Their final NET ranking was No. 304. The only two players to score in double figures left the team, with leading scorer Claudell Harris Jr. transferring to NC State’s ACC rival Boston College.

Nov. 23 vs. Vanderbilt in Las Vegas (10 p.m. EST on ESPN2)

After Thanksgiving dinner, NC State basketball fans can see a rematch of a game played last year in Chicago. The Pack won 70-66 in a win that proved valuable. The Commodores caught fire late in the year and finished 11-7 in the SEC, earning a bid to the NIT where Vandy beat Michigan and reached the semifinals before losing to UAB and closing the campaign at 22-15 overall. They finished the regular season at No. 81 in the NET rankings.

Vanderbilt has been hit hard by attrition. Leading scorer Liam Robbins exhausted his eligibility, and two of the next four leading scorers all transferred out. However, Vandy was boosted by the return of guard and second-leading scorer Tyrin Lawrence, who withdrew from the portal.

Nov. 24 vs. Arizona State/BYU (TBD, ESPN2)

Arizona State grad transfer DJ Horne transferred to NC State and could play against his former team. He averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for a Sun Devils squad that went 23-13 and was one of the last four at-large teams selected to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed.

Coached by former Duke legend Bobby Hurley, ASU routed Nevada in Dayton, Ohio, to open the Big Dance and nearly upset sixth-seeded TCU two days later. ASU, however, lost its four top scorers from that team, including Horne.

ASU has added six players via the portal, including one-time NC State basketball signee Shawn Phillips, a center who was a freshman at LSU last year.

In the final NET rankings before the NCAA Tournament was announced, Arizona State was No. 61, which on a neutral court would count as a Quad 2 contest for NC State.

BYU was NET No. 84, which also would be a Quad 2 game for NC State on a neutral court. The Cougars finished the season 19-15 while competing in the West Coast Conference for the last time. Next season will bring a move to the Big 12.

BYU landed UNC Charlotte post transfer Aly Khalifa, a skilled 6-foot-11 athlete who averaged 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Khalifa is one of a trio of solid transfers BYU added to a squad that returns two of its top three scorers from last season.

NC State could emerge with a pair of Quad 2, at worst, games if both opponents are in the top 100 of the NET since the contests are played on neutral courts.

Nov. 28 at Ole Miss (9 p.m., TBD)

The inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge basketball matchups have been set. NC State basketball men’s team will travel to Ole Miss on Tuesday, Nov. 28 for a 9 p.m. tipoff.

Ole Miss is in a rebuilding mode after firing head coach Kermit Davis during a 12-21 season in 2022-23 (final NET ranking was No. 129). The Rebels made a high-profile hire to replace Davis, landing former Texas Tech and Texas head coach Chris Beard.

In 2019, Beard helped Texas Tech reach the national title game. Two years later, after five seasons with the Red Raiders, he took the job at Texas. Beard went 22-12 in his first season and was 7-1 last fall before being fired after he was charged with third-degree felony assault against his fiancée. The charges were dismissed two months later, and Beard was hired by Ole Miss less than a month after.

Dec. 6 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore (Reynolds Coliseum)

The annual Heritage Game for NC State basketball will be a midweek, Wednesday contest. UMES went 18-13 overall and 9-5 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) to finish with a final NET ranking of No. 229. The top four scorers from that team are gone, however.

Dec. 12 vs. UT Martin

The Skyhawks went 19-14 last season and finished 10-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference, finishing with a NET ranking of No. 251. That team though was led by one-time NC State basketball recruiting target Parker Stewart, who played for his father at UT Martin instead. Stewart led UT Martin in scoring, and the second-leading scorer has also departed the roster.

Dec. 16 vs. Tennessee in San Antonio

The Vols reached the Sweet 16 last season and finished 25-11 overall. ESPN.com’s way-too-early top 25 has the Vols ranked No. 6 nationally and noted that head coach Rick Barnes was “one of the biggest portal winners.” This is almost certain to be a Quad 1 game, which is top 50-ranked teams on neutral courts.

Dec. 20 vs. Saint Louis

This is the return game from when NC State scheduled a series in the middle of the pandemic season of 2020-21. The Billikens went 21-12 this past season and finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Atlantic 10. Their final NET ranking was No. 97, which would be a Quad 3 contest at home (teams ranked 76-160). Star point guard Yuri Collins, who averaged a double-double of 11.2 points and 10.1 assists per game, turned pro, and fourth-leading scorer Javon Pickett exhausted his eligibility.

Dec. 23 vs. Detroit

Coached by former Indiana head coach Mike Davis, who once led the Hoosiers to a national title game, this is the second time Detroit has played at NC State in recent years. The two met in the 2019-20 season opener.

Last year Detroit went 14-19 overall and 9-11 in the Horizon League, but Davis’ prolific-scoring son Antoine Davis, who averaged 28.2 points per game, has graduated. Detroit’s final NET ranking was No. 212.

Date	Opponent	Location	Time/TV
Monday, Nov. 6	The Citadel	PNC Arena	TBD
Friday, Nov. 10	Abilene Christian	PNC Arena	TBD
Friday, Nov. 17	Charleston Southern	PNC Arena	TBD
Thursday, Nov. 23	vs. Vanderbilt	Las Vegas	10 p.m./ESPN2
Friday, Nov. 24	vs. Arizona State/BYU	Las Vegas	TBD/ESPN2
Tuesday, Nov. 28	at Ole Miss	Oxford, Miss.	9 p.m./TBD
Wednesday, Dec. 6	Maryland Eastern Shore	Reynolds Coliseum	TBD
Tuesday, Dec. 12	UT Martin	PNC Arena	TBD
Saturday, Dec. 16	vs. Tennessee	San Antonio	TBD
Wednesday, Dec. 20	Saint Louis	PNC Arena	TBD
Saturday, Dec. 23	Detroit	PNC Arena	TBD