Just one more day, Tar Heel fans – the official start of basketball season.
UNC begins its 2023-2024 slate on Monday, Nov. 6 against the Radford Highlanders. Carolina’s enjoyed some major success in limited action vs. Radford – a 101-58 victory in its opening game of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, plus a 95-50 domination in 2016 at home.
There’s a lot of reason to be optimistic – not only about this game, but about the Tar Heels’ season as a whole. Carolina has a significantly more experienced team this season, headlined by star returners Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis. Hubert Davis hit another ace in the recruiting trail, picking up 5-star point guard Elliot Cadeau to start.
UNC missed the NCAA Tournament last after, becoming the first Preseason Number One ranked team to do so, but last season is in the past. It’s time to press reset and go up against the 3-time, Big South Champion Highlanders.
Radford is no slouch coming into tomorrow’s matchup. The Highlanders are coming off a 21-15 (12-6) campaign, in which they made a run to the College Basketball Invitational semifinals against Campbell University, plus five of their players are either seniors or graduate students.
Who will move to 1-0? What does Carolina need to do for a season-opening win?