UNC basketball’s 2026-27 ACC schedule includes a home-and-home series with Louisville and rival Duke, but the Tar Heels won’t play Clemson for the first time in more than 70 years.
The conference released opponents for the upcoming 18-game league schedule on Thursday, May 28. Dates and times will be announced at a later date. For the first time since the 1950-51 season, the Tar Heels won’t play the Tigers, who were a part of the original group of schools that formed the ACC in 1953.
UNC also won’t have a game against N.C. State in Raleigh for the first time since 1947. The Tar Heels and Wolfpack had their game canceled on Feb. 26, 1947, at Thompson Gym. The announcement was made minutes before the opening tip by a fire marshal because there were too many fans in the gym.
In 2025, the ACC announced its move to an 18-game schedule and assigned the Blue Devils as UNC’s primary partner. UNC’s variable partner, which changes annually, was Syracuse last season and is Louisville this season.
Michael Malone is entering his first season as head coach of the Tar Heels, who are likely to have a starting lineup that includes three transfer portal additions in Terrence Brown Jr. (Utah), Neoklis Avdalas (Virginia Tech) and Matt Able (N.C. State). Senior returner Jarin Stevenson and international prospect Sayon Keita are expected to round out the starters.
Here’s a breakdown of the ACC teams UNC will face in the 2027-28 season.
UNC basketball ACC schedule 2026-27
Home and Away: Duke, Louisville
Home only: Cal, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford, Virginia
Away only: Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to rbaxley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball ACC schedule 2026-27: Tar Heels conference opponents