Published Jun 1, 2021
Looking ahead at NC State's 2021-22 schedule
Justin H. Williams  •  TheWolfpackCentral
Staff Writer
Twitter
@JustinHWill

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

While the Wolfpack's ACC schedule won't be known until the conference officially releases its schedule, the Pack's non-conference opponents are beginning to take shape.

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

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Nov. 9 vs. Bucknell 

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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.

Dec. 12 vs. Purdue (Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.)

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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.

Dec. 17 vs. Richmond (Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.)

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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.

vs. Maryland, Mississippi State, TBD (Baha Mar in The Bahamas)

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2020-21 Record: Maryland 17-14, Mississippi State 18-15

Final NET Ranking: Maryland 38th, Mississippi State 67th

Final KenPom Ranking: Maryland 35th, Mississippi State 78th

Quick Facts:

•Maryland finished tied for eighth in the 2020-21 Big Ten regular-season standings with a 9-11 conference record. Mississippi State finished ninth in the SEC regular-season standings, going 8-10 against league competition.

•The Terrapins earned a No. 10 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and defeated seventh-seeded UConn 63-54 before falling to second-seeded Alabama 96-77 in the second round. The Bulldogs earned a No. 4 seed in the 2021 NIT and finished as the runner-up of the tournament.

•A potential matchup with Mississippi State would be quite enticing for Wolfpack fans because of the roster familiarity. NC State freshman guard Shakeel Moore transferred to Mississippi State in the offseason. He's not the only new addition to the Bulldogs from the ACC. North Carolina senior forward Garrison Brooks, who was the 2020-21 preseason ACC Player of the Year, also transferred to the program in the offseason.

•NC State is 74-77 all-time against Maryland and 0-1 all-time against Mississippi State. The Wolfpack defeated Maryland 65-56 in the last meeting between the two schools on Jan. 20, 2014, in PNC Arena. The Pack lost to Mississippi State 32-29 in the 1925-26 season in the only meeting between the two schools.

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