Looking ahead at NC State's 2021-22 schedule: Challenge opponent revealed

NC State has already been mentioned in multiple college basketball scheduling reports for the 2021-22 season.

The latest addition: a report on who the Wolfpack will be playing in this year's ACC/Big 10 Challenge on Dec. 1. According to Jon Rothstein, NC State will be hosting Nebraska.

Here is an updated look ahead at what we know about NC State's 2021-22 schedule:

2020-21 Record: 5-7

Final NET Ranking: 225th

Final KenPom Ranking: 276th

Quick Facts:

• Bucknell finished in second place of the central division in the 2020-21 Patriot League regular-season standings.

• NC State won the only head-to-head meeting between the two schools. The Wolfpack defeated the Bison 99-86 on Dec. 5, 2015, in PNC Arena.

• Bucknell last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2018 with an automatic bid from winning the Patriot League conference tournament. The Bison earned a No. 14 seed and lost to third-seeded Michigan State 82-78.

2020-21 Record: 24-8

Final NET Ranking: 71st

Final KenPom Ranking: 82nd

Quick Facts:

• Louisiana Tech finished first in the Conference USA West division with a 12-4 conference mark but lost in the second round of the league's tournament.

• They received a bid to the NIT and made a run to the semifinals before losing to Mississippi State and then defeated Colorado State to finish third.

• They are expected to return three of its four double-digit scorers from last season.

• In the calendar year of 2021, NC State will have faced Louisiana Tech in baseball, basketball and football.

2020-21 Record: 7-20

Final NET Ranking: 129th

Final KenPom Ranking: 109th

Quick Facts:

• NC State senior guard Thomas Allen played two seasons at Nebraska before transferring to the Wolfpack.

• The Cornhuskers return three starters, including second-leading scorer Trey McGowens, a former Pittsburgh guard. Leading scorer Teddy Allen however transferred to New Mexico State.

• McGowens' younger brother Bryce was a five-star signing for Nebraska in the 2021 class.

• Former Pack assistant Bobby Lutz had worked for Nebraska since 2019 as a special assistant before stepping down this offseason.

2020-21 Record: 18-10

Final NET Ranking: 29th

Final KenPom Ranking: 25th

Quick Facts:

• Purdue finished fourth in the 2020-21 Big Ten regular-season standings. The Boilermakers went on to lose to Ohio State 87-78 in overtime in the Big Ten Tournament.

• Purdue earned a No. 4 seed with an at-large bid in the 2021 NCAA Tournament but was upset by 13th-seeded North Texas 78-69 in the first round.

• NC State is 4-1 all-time against Purdue, but the Boilermakers won the most recent meeting. Purdue defeated the Wolfpack 66-61 in West Lafayette on Dec. 2, 2014 in the ACC-Big Ten Tournament.

• Purdue is an early consensus pick to be in the preseason top 10 in 2021-22. In ESPN's way-too-early preseason top 25 rankings, the Boilermakers are No. 6. Head coach Matt Painter is expected to to return his top eight scorers from last season, headlined by first-team All-Big Ten big man Trevion Williams, who entered the 2021 NBA Draft but is predicted to return to college.

2020-21 Record: 14-9

Final NET Ranking: 68th

Final KenPom Ranking: 65th

Quick Facts:

• Richmond finished eighth in the 2020-21 Atlantic 10 regular season standings with a 6-5 conference record.

• The Spiders had an eerily similar postseason to the Wolfpack earlier this year. Richmond lost its first-round matchup in the Atlantic 10 Tournament 67-62 to Duquesne. The Spiders earned a No. 2 seed in the NIT, where they defeated third-seeded Toledo 76-66 in the first round but lost to fourth-seeded Richmond 68-67 in the quarterfinals.

• NC State is 4-0 all-time against Richmond. The Wolfpack last defeated the Spiders 84-72 in PNC Arena on Nov. 26, 2014.

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