North Carolina vs. Northern Iowa: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

The North Carolina Tar Heels open their 2017-18 campaign against Northern Iowa. Do the Panthers even stand a chance against the defending National Champions?

TV Schedule: Friday, Nov. 10, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Arena: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The North Carolina Tar Heels head into the 2017-18 college basketball season fresh off of a National Championship and are hoping they can repeat that success.

Several key players are gone, but they return the likes of (a currently injured) Joel Berry and Theo Pinson, as well as bring in a grad transfer from Pitt in Cameron Johnson. Add those names to great depth and top-notch coaching, and, although a bit down on paper, UNC is a legitimate National Championship contender yet again.

The Tar Heels first game of the season will be against a team that most college basketball fans have heard of before, the Northern Iowa Panthers.

Northern Iowa finished last season with a 14-16 record, losing in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament to Missouri State. The Panthers did make it to 9-9 in conference play but lost seven straight games from mid-December to mid-January. The turnaround was impressive to get to even in conference play, but, when this team’s stifling defense is off, they are not going to win.

That being said, this is no cupcake game for UNC, as UNI is a great basketball program that has had success over the past few seasons. However, the Panthers are clearly outmatched and 2017-18 is not going to be a dream season for Northern Iowa.

Next: 2017-18 North Carolina season preview

The good news for UNI, however, is that Wichita State is no longer in the MVC, and their NCAA Tournament chances have increased dramatically. The bad news is that this one against the Tar Heels should not even be close — even without Berry.

Prediction: North Carolina 89, Northern Iowa 72