The schedule is heating up as the spring sports continue to get work in before their winter’s nap, fall sports are nearing their championships, and winter sports are getting their exhibitions in as their season is just a couple of weeks from starting. In the midst of all this, Fall Break at UNC starts on Wednesday afternoon, so if you’re wondering why a lot of these teams will be on the road, there’s your answer. Still, there’s some big contests that’ll be in Chapel Hill and looking for fans to enjoy.
Of note—UNC Men’s Tennis and Fencing continue events we talked about last week so for the sake of expediency we’ll leave them off this slate. But know they continue on Monday.
Let’s take a peek at the week ahead.
UNC Football
Following a great win by the team up in Pittsburgh, the Tar Heels continue their travels on the road by heading over to Durham to try and retake the Victory Bell. Coach Bill Belichick is feeling himself enough to say next week they are bringing it back—or at least whomever is managing his social media is—and after the the dual results of the UNC win against Pitt and the Devils stumbling to Georgia Tech, they at least feel like they have a chance to turn the Bell back Carolina Blue.
- Saturday, 10/17—at Duke, Durham, NC—3:30 PM, ESPN2
UNC Basketball
The Michael Malone era got off to a fun start in Greensboro on Friday, and the exhibition tour continues in Indiana this weekend. Buried in all the NFL Football on Sunday, the Tar Heels will take on Indiana in Indianapolis—does anyone else think of that Barkley commercial when they see that name now?—and if you want to see it you’re going to have to subscribe to yet another service. We’ll see how many midrange jumpers the team takes this time around.
- Sunday, 10/18—vs Indiana, Indianapolis, IN, 5 PM, B1G+ (Streaming only, $12.99 for one month access)
UNC Women’s Tennis
More ITA work for the women’s tennis team as another round of regionals hit this weekend. This time they’ll be down in the home of the Gamecocks and the capital of South Carolina, Columbia, to see if they can build on their strong ITA work so far.
- Thursday, 10/15-Monday, 10/20—ITA Regionals, Columbia, SC
UNC Women’s Soccer
A showdown in Tallahassee was postponed due to weather concerns in the area, so the women’s soccer team is going to be fresh as they continue ACC Play. There’s no word when the Florida State game will be played, but its official designation is “postponed” and not “cancelled.” There’s little room here as the last regular season game for Carolina is set to be November 5th, so we’ll see when they try to schedule the trip back down.
- Thursday, 10/15—at Clemson, Clemson, SC—8 PM, ACC Network
- Sunday, 10/18—at Wake Forest, Winston-Salem, NC—3:30 PM, ACC Network
UNC Baseball
The Tar Heels will wrap up their fall showcase schedule on Friday with a much-anticipated exhibition against NC State in Durham. It’ll be the first time the Tar Heels have seen someone other than Elliot Avent in the opposite dugout in 30 years, and it should be a fun Friday night in downtown Durham for anyone who wants an up close look at both teams.
- Friday, 10/16—vs NC State (Exhibition), Durham, NC—6 PM
UNC Women’s Golf
Finally Finley gets to host a golf competition this year, as the UNC women’s team will hold the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational. This is a three day event that will work to take advantage of the temperate weather that happens around this time of year. The women are looking for a stronger showing at home as their first two tournaments have seen them finish in the mid to bottom of the pile. Maybe the familiarity of Finely will help.
- Friday, 10/16-Sunday, 10/18—Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational, Chapel Hill, NC
UNC Cross Country
The long-distance runners have one more meet before the post season tournaments begin. This weekend they’ll be up in Terre Haute, IN as they prepare for the ACC Championships at the end of the month and the NCAA’s in a few weeks. They are looking to build off a strong showing up in Princeton, where the men finished fifth and the women finished second.
- Friday, 10/16—Pre-National Invitational, Terre Haute, IN—10 AM
UNC Swimming and Diving
For the first time this year, the Koury Natatorium will host a meet, and it’ll do so in style with the Duke Blue Devils coming to Chapel Hill. It’s the first of two straight weeks of the team hosting an event next door to the Smith Center. These meets are always fun, and free, so it’s worth climbing inside and inhaling the chlorine to cheer on the Tar Heels.
- Friday, 10/16—vs Duke, Chapel Hill, NC—4 PM
UNC Field Hockey
A split result on the road for the UNC Field Hockey this weekend as they utterly dominated St. Joseph’s up in Philadelphia, but couldn’t get the equalizer against Liberty in a game that was influenced in no small part by the weather. They are still well above .500 and Liberty was ranked 17th so they’ll keep their ranking this week as they return to ACC play for a pair of big home matches. This is one where they’ll need community support because they are home, but with students on Fall Break the chance for students to be involved will be a lot smaller. There’s no charge for admission if you plan on going.
- Friday, 10/16—vs. Boston College, Chapel Hill, NC—6 PM, ACCNX (Streaming Only)
- Sunday, 10/18—vs. Syracuse, Chapel Hill, NC—2 PM, ACC Network
UNC Volleyball
The volleyball team is just rolling along now. Last weekend they came back from the brink of a loss with a successful challenge and took the match against Georgia Tech. Following that three games to two win, they pulled off a pair of three to zero sweeps against Virginia Tech and Virginia. They are 11-3 overall, 6-0 in the ACC, and fighting hard in the one sport that doesn’t have a tournament to declare its champion. They continue their travels this week including a big one in Louisville on Sunday.
- Friday, 10/16—at Notre Dame, South Bend, IN—6:30 PM, ACCNX (Streaming Only)
- Sunday, 10/18—at Louisville, Louisville, KY—1 PM, ACCNX (Streaming Only)
UNC Men’s Soccer
After a bumpy start, the men’s soccer team has easily rounded into form and delivered an absolute drumming of Notre Dame on Saturday, 7-1. The Men’s IX only have four games left in the regular season before their own postseason play begins, and they’ll hit the road for their next two in order to keep climbing up the ACC charts. The good news is that all teams will get a shot in the tournament, with only the top seed getting a bye, but with the team playing well at the right time They hav ea real shot to make noise.
- Friday, 10/16—at Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA—7 PM, ACCNX (Streaming Only)
UNC Men’s Golf
While the women hold court at Finely, the men will state in their home state by heading down to Wilmington and hosting a tournament of their own. It won’t be the first time Carolina has hosted this event, and it should be a good time down in Wilmington as fall at the beach would provide some outstanding weather.
- Sunday, 10/18-Tuesday, 10/20—The Williams Cup, Wilmington, NC
UNC Women’s Basketball
Yes, another exhibition season is set to begin and this one is for a team that will be showing off the top recruit in the country for the first time, and celebrating their recent recruiting success for next year. There is a lot expected of the women’s basketball team this season, and they’ll get the amazing chance to open the season up in Paris. It’ll be the only chance you’ll have to see them compete in Carmichael until November 11th, and it’s a chance to see a team that could be doing something special.
- Sunday, 10/18—vs Davidson (Exhibition), Chapel Hill, NC—1 PM