Following a disappointing season last year, the NC State men’s basketball program will usher in a new era in 2017-18 behind new head coach Kevin Keatts. Keatts enters his first season as head of the Wolfpack men’s basketball program after taking UNC-Wilmington to two-straight NCAA tournaments in 2016 and 2017.
NC State will play its first and only exhibition game on Friday against Mars Hill. The Wolfpack will tip off its regular season with a home matchup Nov. 10 against Virginia Military Institute.
NC State’s men’s basketball team has hardly been known for scheduling difficult nonconference games against quality big-name school opponents. The 2017-18 season is no different. Besides participating in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in late November, the Pack will only play a single nonconference opponent of note, and a questionable one at that in Penn State.
Battle 4 Atlantis
There are a number of early season tournaments hosted in exotic places for Division I basketball programs to test their young players early against other top programs. Examples of these tournaments that NC State has participated in in the recent past are the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2016 and the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in 2012.
This year, the Wolfpack was invited to Paradise Island in the Bahamas to take part in the Battle 4 Atlantis. While technically the first game of the tournament will be played in Raleigh against Presbyterian, NC State will face off against Arizona on Nov. 22 in Paradise Island, Bahamas. The Wildcats are a storied program that consistently maintain a top-25 ranking during the regular season. Arizona reached the Elite Eight after receiving a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2017.
The other teams that will be vying for the Battle 4 Atlantis trophy are 2016 NCAA National Champion Villanova, Purdue, SMU, Tennessee, Western Kentucky and Northern Iowa. The Pack could face any of the above teams depending on how each fare in the first round.
ACC/Big 10 Challenge
The lone nonconference game even worth mentioning besides the Battle 4 Atlantis will be when NC State hosts Penn State in the annual ACC/Big 10 challenge, where a school from each conference is pitted against a school from the opposing conference. Penn State enjoyed a mediocre season similar to State a year ago, going 15-18 and missing out on the NCAA tournament.
Notable ACC Games (In Sequential Order)
(Dec. 30 – At Clemson)
The Wolfpack will open its conference slate with a trip to Clemson, South Carolina, to face the Tigers. Clemson must find a replacement for the No. 5 scorer in Tigers men’s basketball history in Jaron Blossomgame, who was selected in the 2017 NBA Draft. Additionally, the Tigers must also replace two other starters from last season’s team that lost in the first round of the NIT Tournament.
(Jan. 6 – vs. Duke)
Two days before classes for the spring semester begin, NC State will welcome the current 2018 NCAA title favorites to PNC Arena. The preseason No. 1 Blue Devils return star guard Grayson Allen among others and welcome in another star-studded recruiting class.
(Jan. 21 – vs. Miami)
Currently being heralded as Duke’s main competition in the ACC for 2017-18, NC State will square off with a Miami team that could likely be ranked in the top 10 when the two meet. The Hurricanes are led by a stellar backcourt mixed with veterans and recruits.
(Jan. 27 – At UNC-Chapel Hill)
The Wolfpack gets its first shot at the defending national champions when the team travels to Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels lost three starters and five rotation members, not to mention point guard Joel Berry who is currently slated to miss the start of the regular season after breaking his hand while playing a video game in October. Nonetheless, some transfers and the return of forward Luke Maye will ensure the Heels are a formidable foe.
(Feb.3 – vs. Notre Dame)
Notre Dame has proven to be consistently successful in recent years. The Fighting Irish return two of their best players from a team that reached the ACC Tournament last season in seniors Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell. Look for the Irish to be a ranked opponent coming into Raleigh.
(Feb.10 – vs. UNC-Chapel Hill)
Exactly two weeks after traveling to Chapel Hill, the Wolfpack will welcome Roy Williams and company to PNC Arena.
(March 3 – vs. Louisville)
NC State will welcome the disgraced Louisville men’s basketball program to PNC Arena for its final regular season game of the year. The Cardinals recently fired former head coach Rick Pitino and their former athletics director Tom Jurich after an FBI investigation. The team boasts experience on the court, however, so it is tough to say what type of season the Cards will have in 2017-18.
The 2018 ACC Tournament will be held from March 6-10 in Brooklyn, New York. Selection Sunday for the 2018 NCAA Tournament will be held on March 11.
