Illinois joins what was already a hefty non-conference slate for North Carolina

UNC is heading to Nashville for a mid-season clash with Illinois.

The Tar Heels and Fighting Illini will play in the Nashville Hoops Showdown at Bridgestone Arena on January 30, a strong non-conference test for Michael Malone's squad as they get into the meat of the ACC schedule. Illinois was one of the surprises of the tournament last season, making it to the Final Four behind the efforts of NBA lottery pick Keaton Wagler. North Carolina will answer with a roster overhaul that will likely include three transfers in the starting five.

READ MORE: UNC's new projected starting 5 with Sayon Keita gives fans new-found hope

North Carolina has several neutral site games scheduled for this season. The Tar Heels will play an exhibition game against Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on October 18, then head down the state to Charlotte to play West Virginia in the Dick Vitale Invitation on November 27. After that, it's a trip to New York City to take on Kentucky at Madison Square Garden in the CBS Sports Classic on December 19. North Carolina is also finalizing a deal to play NC State in a non-conference game at Greensboro Coliseum, according to reports from 247Sports.

But the Illinois game should come at the perfect time for fans to see how much the team has been able to gel under Malone. Illini coach Brad Underwood has a loaded roster led by the return of Andrej Stojakovic, who flirted with entering the NBA Draft before deciding to go back to school. 

UNC to face Illinois in Nashville Hoops Showdown on January 30

The Illinois game and presumably the extra contest against NC State should finalize a very challenging non-conference slate for the Tar Heels. It was announced earlier this month that North Carolina will host John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks in the the ACC/SEC Challenge. As it currently stands, UNC's non-conference slate looks like this:

vs. Western Carolina: Nov. 2
vs. Wofford: Nov. 6
vs. Wyoming: Nov. 10
vs. Georgia: Nov. 13
vs. Georgia: Nov. 13
vs. West Virginia (Dick Vitale Invitational in Charlotte) Nov. 27
vs. Arkansas Dec. 1 (ACC/SEC Challenge)
@ Georgetown: Dec. 12
vs. N.C. State (at Greensboro Coliseum) December 15 (not finalized)
vs. Kentucky (CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden): Dec. 19
vs. The Citadel: Dec. 21
vs. Butler (Date TBD)
vs. Illinois (Nashville Hoops Showdown at Bridgestone Arena) Jan 30

READ MORE: Tar Heel fans can probably guess who UNC will face in the ACC/SEC Challenge

Malone has put together a solid roster with the potential to be very good and the expectations around Chapel Hill are always high. The backcourt of Terrence Brown (Utah transfer) and Matt Able (N.C. State transfer) is one that Tar Heels fans are excited about, especially Able, who is being projected as a potential lottery pick in the 2027 NBA Draft. They will be joined by Neoklis Avdalas (Virginia Tech transfer) on the wing. And the front court is rounded out with returning starter Jarin Stevenson and five-star recruit Sayon Keita. It's a promising group that will be thrown into the fire early. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow