Now that the NC State men’s basketball team has beat Mount Olive in an exhibition 113-73 on Saturday, it’s time to look ahead to the regular season as the Wolfpack takes that next step in head coach Kevin Keatts’ third season in Raleigh.
November:
The Wolfpack opens the season at home on Nov. 5 against ACC foe Georgia Tech, a team that won in Raleigh last season off a last-second, and-1 dunk by current senior forward James Banks III. The Yellow Jackets were picked 12th out of 15 in the preseason ACC media poll.
After Georgia Tech, NC State has a five-game stretch of tune-up games against Detroit Mercy, FIU, St. Francis Brooklyn, Alcorn State and Arkansas Little Rock. The games against St. Francis Brooklyn (Nov. 16) and Alcorn State (Nov. 19) will be this year’s heritage games and will be played in Reynolds Coliseum.
The highlight of NC State’s non-conference schedule will be played on Thanksgiving in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with the Wolfpack taking on preseason No. 14 Memphis. The Tigers head coach and NBA legend Penny Hardaway has brought in a wealth of talent for his first year with the No. 1 recruiting class in 2019, which includes the top prospect in the class, 7-foot-1 center James Wiseman.
December:
December is highlighted by a big four-game stretch at the beginning of the month for the Wolfpack. On Dec. 4, NC State will get its rematch with Wisconsin in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge after last year’s matchup featured numerous questionable calls. Afterward, the Wolfpack will have a three-game road swing against Wake Forest, UNC-Greensboro and Auburn in a crucial stretch of the out-of-conference schedule.
NC State returns home to play the Citadel on Dec. 22 and Appalachian State on Dec. 29 in preparation for the bulk of ACC play.
January:
NC State opens the month at Clemson, home against Notre Dame, at Virginia Tech, and then home against Miami. Clemson, Virginia Tech and Miami were all rated in the bottom tier of the ACC, with Miami being rated the highest of the three at No. 9; Notre Dame was predicted to finish right behind NC State at No. 7. Just 14 days after the first matchup, the Wolfpack will take on Clemson at home followed by a two-game road stint versus Virginia and Georgia Tech. NC State will close the month against UNC-Chapel Hill at home on Jan. 27 in a huge rivalry matchup.
February:
February sets up as a month full of tough matchups. On Feb. 1, NC State will take on Louisville and preseason ACC Player of the Year Jordan Nwora at home in Raleigh, followed by a three-game road trip to Miami, Syracuse and Boston College. The conclusion of this road trip leads to what is likely the toughest stretch of games the Wolfpack will face all season: Duke, Florida State, at UNC, Pittsburgh and at Duke, the final match of which will be on March 2.
Duke is the preseason No. 1 team in the ACC, led by sophomore point guard Tre Jones and freshman center Vernon Carey Jr., and Florida State and UNC were picked to finish No. 5 and No. 2 in the conference, respectively. If the Wolfpack can take a couple of games from these top-tier opponents, it should feel good about its chances at making the NCAA tournament.
March:
NC State concludes its regular season at home versus Wake Forest on March 6. The Wolfpack will then travel just down the road to Greensboro for the ACC tournament from March 10-14. After the conference championships, NC State will await its potential postseason fate.
