NCAA Tournament March Madness
#351 NC Central
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Projection: need to automatically qualify
NC Central’s profile is defined by lopsided road losses at major programs such as NC State, Virginia, North Carolina and Dayton, leaving the résumé light on quality victories and burdened by damaging results. A competitive outing at James Madison offers a small bright spot but does little to erase those trips. The remaining slate includes a series of conference matchups at home and on the road against the likes of NC A&T, Longwood, Coppin State, Morgan State, Delaware State, Howard and Maryland Eastern Shore that are the practical opportunities to rebuild momentum. Scheduled trips to Kentucky and Penn State are steep challenges that, if they go poorly, will only reinforce concerns about the resume. Without a road or neutral win over a top opponent to change the narrative, the clearest path to the field runs through taking care of conference business and winning the conference tournament.
| Date | Opponent | Ranking | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/3 | @NC State | 39 | L114-66 |
| 11/7 | @Virginia | 20 | L81-62 |
| 11/9 | @Appalachian St | 294 | L76-54 |
| 11/14 | @North Carolina | 24 | L97-53 |
| 11/22 | @Dayton | 68 | L74-55 |
| 11/25 | @SC Upstate | 262 | L82-67 |
| 12/3 | @James Madison | 185 | L67-62 |
| 12/6 | NC A&T | 308 | 45% |
| 12/9 | @Kentucky | 19 | 0% |
| 12/20 | Longwood | 298 | 41% |
| 12/29 | @Penn St | 92 | 2% |
| 1/3 | Norfolk St | 221 | 28% |
| 1/10 | @Coppin St | 364 | 55% |
| 1/12 | @Morgan St | 361 | 44% |
| 1/17 | Howard | 310 | 45% |
| 1/24 | Delaware St | 359 | 66% |
| 1/26 | MD E Shore | 345 | 57% |
| 1/31 | @S Carolina St | 352 | 40% |
| 2/7 | @Norfolk St | 221 | 13% |
| 2/14 | Coppin St | 364 | 76% |
| 2/16 | Morgan St | 361 | 66% |
| 2/21 | @Howard | 310 | 24% |
| 2/28 | @Delaware St | 359 | 44% |
| 3/2 | @MD E Shore | 345 | 35% |
| 3/5 | S Carolina St | 352 | 62% |