NC State basketball announced its non-conference slate for the 2021-22 hoops season Aug. 19.
Here is an updated look ahead at the NC State's 2021-22 schedule:
Nov. 9 vs. Bucknell
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.
Nov. 13 vs. Colgate
2020-21 Record: 14-2
Final NET Ranking: 30th
Final KenPom Ranking: 89th
Quick Facts:
• Colgate won the Patriot League, going 11-1 in the conference in the regular season and taking the three-game tournament.
• As a 14-seed in the NCAA Tournament, Colgate lost 85-68 in the opening round to third-seeded Arkansas after leading 33-19 in the first half.
• The Raiders will return four starters plus its second-leading scorer/sixth man Jack Ferguson from last year's team.
Nov. 16 vs. Central Connecticut State (Hall of Fame Showcase at Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.)
2020-21 Record: 5-16
Final NET Ranking: 310th
Final KenPom Ranking: 345th
Quick Facts:
• The Blue Devils opened last season with a 27-point loss to Connecticut in its most notable contest.
• Central Connecticut State was led by senior guard Obadiah Noel, who averaged 21.4 points per game.
• Will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Nov. 17 vs. Oklahoma State (Hall of Fame Showcase at Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.)
2020-21 Record: 21-9
Final NET Ranking: 28th
Final KenPom Ranking: 33rd
Quick Facts:
• Oklahoma State made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season before falling to upstart Oregon State.
• The Cowboys were led by superstar freshman guard Cade Cunningham, the top overall pick in this year's NBA Draft.
• Oklahoma State returns all of its other primary starters from last season outside of Cunningham and added transfer Moussa Cisse, a well-regarded center from Memphis.
• Cowboys are 2-0 all time against NC State, most recently defeating the Wolfpack in 2012.
Nov. 21 vs. Texas Southern
2020-21 Record: 17-9
Final NET Ranking: 190th
Final KenPom Ranking: 208th
Quick Facts:
• Texas Southern is the defending champion of the SWAC and defeated Mount St. Mary's in a play-in game for the NCAA Tournament before losing to Michigan in the first round.
• NC State is one of several notable non-conference games for Texas Southern, which also has Oregon, St. Mary's, Washington, BYU, Florida, Cincinnati and TCU among its opponents.
• Head coach Johnny Jones was LSU's coach when the Pack defeated the Tigers at the buzzer on center BeeJay Anya's shot in the lane during the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Nov. 27 vs. Louisiana Tech
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. The last time the Pack faced them in hoops was a State win in 2014.
Dec. 1 vs. Nebraska (ACC/Big Ten Challenge)
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, and the Cornhuskers have also added potential impact transfer Alonzo Verge from Arizona State.
• Former Pack assistant Bobby Lutz had worked for Nebraska since 2019 as a special assistant before stepping down this offseason.
Dec. 9 vs. Bethune-Cookman (Reynolds Coliseum)
2020-21 Record: N/A
Final NET Ranking: N/A
Final KenPom Ranking: N/A
Quick Facts:
• Bethune-Cookman did not play last season due to COVID-19.
• In 2019-20, Bethune-Cookman went 16-15 overall and 10-6 in the MEAC, and had a final KenPom ranking of No. 292 and NET of 286.
• They are coached by former NBA star and head coach Reggie Theus, who was hired as its athletics director and head coach in July.
Dec. 12 vs. Purdue (Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
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 Challenge.
• 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 checked in at 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 decided instead to return to college.
Dec. 17 vs. Richmond (Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.)
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 Mississippi State 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.
Dec. 22 vs. Wright State
2020-21 Record: 18-6
Final NET Ranking: 75th
Final KenPom Ranking: 73rd
Quick Facts:
• Wright State went 16-4 in the Horizon League, tied for the best mark in the conference, but was upset in overtime in the tournament quarterfinal by Milwaukee.
• Lost leading scorer and rebounder Loudon Love, the two-time Horizon League Player of the Year, but returns its next four leading scorers from last season.
• Head coach Scott Nagy has 519 career wins over 26 seasons, the last five at Wright State after 21 at South Dakota State. He's won at least 20 games in 16 years.
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