Toughest ACC basketball games for UNC, Duke, N.C. State this season

Posted by Admin September 25, 2024 Basketball

Finally, we can fill in our calendars with a full schedule of college basketball games for the 2024-25 season.

The ACC announced its matchups Tuesday night on the ACC Network, releasing the 20-game slates for the conference’s 18 schools. Cal, SMU and Stanford are the latest programs to join the league.

North Carolina is the reigning ACC regular-season champion, but N.C. State enters the season as the kings of the league after winning the 2024 ACC Tournament before advancing to the Final Four.

Led by freshman Cooper Flagg, Duke will try to leapfrog the Tar Heels and Wolfpack. Each Triangle school has marquee games on its nonconference schedule, including UNC at Kansas, Duke at Arizona and N.C. State vs. Purdue.

5 ACC basketball predictions

Here’s a breakdown of the toughest ACC stretches for the Blue Devils, UNC and N.C. State.

Duke basketball’s toughest stretch on ACC schedule

The Blue Devils will likely enter the season as favorites to win the league and compete for the program’s sixth national championship. Looking at Duke’s ACC schedule, the toughest stretch could arrive during a five-game stretch from Jan. 25 to Feb. 8.

Full Duke basketball schedule for 2024-25

The Blue Devils start at Wake Forest (Jan. 25), where Duke lost last season, before hosting N.C. State (Jan. 27) two days later in an Elite Eight rematch. The Devils cap their run against in-state rivals with a matchup against UNC (Feb. 1) at Cameron Indoor Stadium. If that wasn’t tough enough, Duke hits the road for its next two games, with trips to Syracuse (Feb. 5) and Clemson (Feb. 8).

UNC basketball’s toughest stretch on ACC schedule

Like Duke, UNC is likely to receive first-place votes as an ACC title contender with a chance to chase a national title behind veteran guard RJ Davis. For the Tar Heels, the toughest stretch seems to be from Jan. 28 to Feb. 19.

Full UNC basketball schedule for 2024-25

Four of the six games in that stretch will be on the road: at Pitt (Jan. 28), at Duke (Feb. 1), at Clemson (Feb. 10) and at Syracuse (Feb. 15). The Heels play the Panthers at home on Feb. 8, but cap the six-game gauntlet against N.C. State on Feb. 19 at the Smith Center. That’ll be a rematch of the 2024 ACC Tournament championship game.

N.C. State basketball’s toughest stretch on ACC schedule

Underrated and often overlooked because of their rivals down the road, the Wolfpack will be out to prove that it’s capable of building off of an electric championship season. As it chases a third-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, N.C. State’s toughest stretch includes a road trip to California in early February.

Full NC State basketball schedule for 2024-25

After hosting Clemson on Feb. 1 at the Lenovo Center, the Wolfpack heads to Cal (Feb. 5) before playing at Stanford (Feb. 8). N.C. State is home for three of its next four games, but the road game is at UNC (Feb. 19). An opportunity against the Tar Heels, along with a matchup against Wake Forest on Feb. 22 in Raleigh, could boost the Wolfpack’s postseason resume.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.