Last week, NC State basketball announced its non-conference opponents for the 2021-22 season.
On paper, it's a smart, challenging schedule that should play well in the committee's eyes come March should NC State be in position for consideration to the NCAA Tournament.
Here is The Wolfpacker's rankings of the 11 opponents, starting with 6-11.
11. Bethune-Cookman (Dec. 9 in Reynolds Coliseum)
Presumably there will be a game at Reynolds Coliseum this year with Bethune-Cookman scheduled to come to town Dec. 9, but as of Aug. 22, the Wildcats official online basketball roster consists of exactly zero players.
Bethune-Cookman opted out of playing last season, lost its head coach in late-March when Ryan Ridder left to take the job at UT-Martin and then did not hire a replacement until early-July when former NBA star and head coach Reggie Theus signed on to be both the head coach and director of athletics.
The uncertainty is what has Bethune-Cookman at the bottom of this list, as otherwise they have, in recent years, traditionally been a top team in the MEAC. In three seasons under Ridder, it had an above .500 conference mark every year.
