North Carolina’s ACC slate for 2026-27 is now set, and the first thing that jumps out is how neatly it opens and closes. The Tar Heels will begin league play at home against Cal on Dec. 30 and finish the regular season against Duke on March 6, with the full conference path now in place even though game times are still to come.
The early stretch sends UNC into 2027 with a quick run of familiar and unfamiliar stops. After that opener against Cal, the Tar Heels head to Boston College on Jan. 2 and Louisville on Jan.
- They then return to Chapel Hill for a Jan. 9 meeting with NC State before going to Florida State four days later.
The month keeps moving fast from there, with Stanford and Virginia coming to the Dean Dome on Jan. 16 and Jan. 19, followed by a trip to Syracuse on Jan. 23 and a home game against SMU on Jan. 26.
February brings another compact mix of home and road. UNC opens the month at Notre Dame on Feb. 2, then plays Georgia Tech on Feb. 6 and Louisville on Feb. 8 in Chapel Hill.
The lone trip to Duke lands on Feb. 13, and after the following week off, the Tar Heels go to Wake Forest on Feb. 20.
Miami visits Chapel Hill on Feb. 22, and North Carolina finishes the month at Virginia Tech on Feb. 27 before starting March at Pitt on March 2 and hosting Duke on March 6.
One notable wrinkle in the schedule: Clemson is gone. For the first time since 1950-51, North Carolina will not play the Tigers during the ACC regular season.
UNC beat Clemson in Chapel Hill last season, then lost to the Tigers in the ACC Tournament, and the teams could still meet there again. Still, it stands out as a real schedule oddity.
The NC State series has its own twist. The Tar Heels and Wolfpack will meet twice this season after only one matchup in 2025-26, but the first game between them is not counted as conference play.
That one comes Tuesday, Dec. 15 in Greensboro as part of the Tobacco Road Classic. The ACC meeting is the Jan. 9 game in Chapel Hill, and UNC does not go to Raleigh.
There’s also a clean little milestone baked into the opener. When Cal comes to Chapel Hill on Dec. 30, it will be Michael Malone’s first ACC basketball game as UNC’s head coach. The Golden Bears arrive with some momentum, too, after reaching the NIT in March for their first postseason appearance since 2017.
Another detail worth noting: UNC’s longest road stretch in ACC play is only two games, and that happens three times. The first comes right after New Year’s, with trips to Boston College and Louisville. The other two-game road runs come in February, when UNC goes to Duke and Wake Forest, then later visits Virginia Tech and Pitt.
In Other News...
Dave Doerens 9/11 Connection Gives NC States Tribute Deeper Meaning
As NC State prepares for its home opener on Sept. 11, the programs tribute carries a weight that goes well beyond a themed uniform. The Wolfpack will wear special black camo jerseys to honor those who have served, a nod that fits the significance of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks and the way that date still resonates far beyond football.
Dave Doerens connection to that morning gives the moment even more meaning inside the building. The NC State coach has long carried the memory of how close his own family came to being tied to one of the hijacked flights, a personal reminder that the attacks were not just history but a day that changed countless lives in an instant. For the Wolfpack, the tribute is about more than presentation, because the man leading the team has his own reason to feel the day in a very real way. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Got A Huge Answer On Its Defensive Front
KaTron Evans has already given NC State a glimpse of what he can bring to the defensive front, and now the Wolfpack have a clearer picture of his status moving forward. After previously receiving temporary relief that let him suit up in early games, including the season opener against Virginia when he made five tackles, the former four-star prospect now has a full path to play for NC State through the entire 2026 football season.
For a defense that can use dependable bodies in the trenches, the ruling removes at least one layer of uncertainty around a player who has moved through multiple colleges before arriving in Raleigh. Evans case had lingered beyond the opening stretch, but the latest development gives NC State a more stable answer up front and a chance to keep building around a veteran presence already showing he can make an impact. [Read more 🡒]
NC States Defensive Front Just Got An Important Evans Development
KaTron Evans season took a meaningful turn this week, with the NC State nose guard declared immediately eligible for the rest of 2026 after receiving a waiver. Evans had already appeared in the opener against Virginia, but the new ruling clears the way for him to stay with the defensive front without the uncertainty that had hovered over his status.
His eligibility now comes after a legal challenge to the NCAAs original denial of an extra year, and the dismissal of his federal lawsuit helped close the loop. For a Wolfpack defense that values size and steadiness in the middle, getting Evans locked in for the full season gives the front another piece it can count on as the year unfolds. [Read more 🡒]