A look at No. 19 UNC men's basketball's most important games for the 2021-22 season

Entering the season ranked at No. 19, the North Carolina men’s basketball team has its work cut out for its 2021-22 campaign.

Three of the team’s conference opponents and four of its non-conference opponents are ranked going into the season. 

The Tar Heels are set to face No. 2 UCLA, No. 6 Michigan and No. 7 Purdue with the possibility of playing either No. 4 Villanova or No. 18 Tennessee in the Hall of Fame Tipoff event. The team also has conference games against No. 20 Florida State, No. 25 Virginia and two games against its rival, No. 9 Duke.

With a slew of intriguing matchups for the Tar Heels this season, here’s a look at the team’s most important games.

Dec. 1 vs. No. 6 Michigan

UNC will play the Michigan Wolverines at home in its annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge contest. Michigan returns its leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker from a year ago, sophomore center Hunter Dickinson. The team also brings in first-years Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate, five-star recruits who rank in the top 15 on ESPN’s 2021 Top 100 list.

The Tar Heels last played Michigan two seasons ago in the Bahamas, losing 73-64. The team has lost its last three ACC/Big Ten Challenge games, with its most recent victory coming against the Wolverines in 2017.

Dec. 18 vs. No. 2 UCLA 

The Tar Heels face the nation’s second best team, UCLA, on a neutral site in Las Vegas, Nevada in the CBS Sports Classic. 

The Bruins, who reached the Final Four last season, feature junior guard and CBS preseason All-American Johnny Juzang. Juzang led the charge for UCLA in the NCAA Tournament in 2021, averaging 22.8 points per game on 50.9 percent shooting in the team’s six postseason games.

North Carolina has won its last five games against UCLA, dating back to 2000, and as recently as 2019, in which the Tar Heels won 74-64. Its upcoming test against one of the nation's most elite teams will help gauge its potential moving forward. 

Jan. 8 vs. No. 25 Virginia

UNC hosts the reigning ACC regular season champion, No. 25 Virginia, in January, a team that it has struggled with in recent history.

The Cavaliers have had North Carolina’s number in seven consecutive meetings, keeping the UNC offense at bay by controlling the pace of the game. Virginia head coach Tony Bennett’s defensive game plan against the typically up-tempo UNC offense has not boded well for UNC, though a fresh start with head coach Hubert Davis may change the way the team approaches the Cavalier defense.

Virginia’s three leading scorers from last season graduated or left for the NBA, but the team returns senior guard and leader in assists, Kihei Clark. 

March 5 @ No. 9 Duke

For the second time in the season, North Carolina will play its arch-rival, No. 9 Duke. The Tar Heels will travel to play the Blue Devils in this one, with the first meeting between the teams occurring in February in Chapel Hill.

UNC’s March game against Duke will be the last game the team plays against opposing head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who will retire after the season. Though the final face-off of Roy Williams’ Tar Heels and Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils did not receive a ceremonious end with Williams’ sudden retirement this past April, March’s Blue Blood battle will officially close this chapter of the rivalry.

The team’s focus, though, should be on the highly-touted first-year forward, Paolo Banchero. The preseason pick for conference player of the year, Banchero’s ability to create for himself inside and outside the paint could create matchup problems for UNC. The team does, however, have the opportunity to plan against him in their February matchup.

The Blue Devils return sophomore guard Jeremy Roach and junior forward Wendell Moore Jr. while bringing in first-year guard Trevor Keels as another scoring option. 

@jerem11ah

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