Hurricanes to open ACC basketball schedule at home vs. Syracuse

The Eagles’ final road game of the year is at NC State (March 2) and they conclude the regular season at home against Clemson (March 5). And Wake Forest is a good rivalry game for us. Note the November 21 game with VMI is the same day as Tech’s home football game with UNC, so fans will have an opportunity to see both teams play. Notre Dame claimed the top spot in this season’s preseason rankings.

A February 28 home game against Duke, set for a national CBS broadcast.

Notably missing from the schedule for a team that finished 32-6 overall and tied the school record for most conference wins with 14 last season are any appearances on ESPN’s “Big Monday” showcase.

“Like everybody in our league, we have a hard conference schedule”, head coach Mark Gottfried said.

“The ACC is as challenging as it has ever been and, as expected, we have a terrific league schedule this season”.

The Panthers will be tested on the road early in conference play, as they will visit Notre Dame on January 9, followed five days later by a visit to Louisville. The 2016 ACC Tournament will be at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The Wolfpack has won at least one conference tourney game in each of Gottfried’s four seasons. The offense will need to rebuild its stable of running backs, but if it can do that, look for the “Ramblin’ Wreck” to boast one of the best rushing attacks in the nation after averaging 342.07 rushing yards per game last season.

“A lot of people say you don’t play on another person’s home court”, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told the school’s official site.

Following a home tilt versus Central Arkansas (Dec. 6), Pitt opens play in the Gotham Classic.

The Hurricanes will also host rival Florida State in a nationally televised game January 9. In year two as an ACC member, the Fighting Irish swept through Miami, eventual NCAA national champion Duke and North Carolina on Tobacco Road en route to capturing the ACC tournament championship in Greensboro, North Carolina last March. Wake Forest plays in the Maui Invitational, Miami plays in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan, Florida State plays in the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Syracuse plays in the Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas.