Scouting Indiana's Top Non-Conference Opponents: UNC, Arizona, Kansas, Xavier

There will be no shortage of talented opponents on Indiana's non-conference schedule for the 2022-2023 mens' college basketball season. Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers will take on North Carolina and Kansas – last year's National Championship opponents – before a matchup with Arizona in Las Vegas and a road trip to Xavier for the 2022 Gavitt Games. Here's an early look at each opponent.

USA Today

After playing the nation's 319th-toughest non-conference schedule last season, Indiana head coach Mike Woodson made sure that wouldn't happen again.

With the majority of Indiana's 2022-2023 schedule now released, the Hoosiers are shaping up to have one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the country. Let's take an early look at the four marquee opponents.

North Carolina Tar Heels

• WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022
• WHERE: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
• LAST YEAR: (29-10, 15-5, 2nd in ACC) No. 8 seed, lost to Kansas in National Championship.
• WHO'S BACK: R.J. Davis (13.5 ppg), Caleb Love (15.9 ppg), Leaky Black (4.9 ppg), Armando Bacot (16.3 ppg, 13.1 rpg)
• WHO'S GONE: Brady Manek (15.1 ppg), Dawson Garcia (9 ppg in 16 games)
• KEY ADDITIONS: Pete Nance (14.6 ppg at Northwestern), Seth Trimble (No. 35 recruit), Jalen Washington (No. 44 recruit), Tyler Nickel (No. 76 recruit)
• THE SKINNY: North Carolina is a candidate to be the No. 1 team in the country when the season starts. The Tar Heels made a run to the National Championship game as a No. 8 seed, and Hubert Davis returns four starters in his second year as head coach. Armando Bacot is a National Player of the Year candidate, creating an intriguing matchup with Trayce Jackson-Davis. 

Arizona Wildcats

• WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022
• WHERE: MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas, Nev.
• LAST YEAR: (33-4, 18-2, 1st in Pac-12) No. 1 seed, lost to Houston in Sweet Sixteen.
  
• WHO'S BACK: Kerr Kriisa (9.7 ppg), Azoulas Toubelis (13.9 ppg), Pelle Larsson (7.2 ppg), Oumar Ballo (6.8 ppg)
• WHO'S GONE: Bennedict Mathurin (17.7 ppg), Christian Koloko (12.6 ppg), Dalen Terry (8 ppg), Justin Kier (6.8 ppg)
• KEY ADDITIONS: Courtney Ramey (9.4 ppg at Texas, Cedric Henderson (14 ppg at Campbell), Henri Veesar (No. 34 recruit), Filip Borovicanin (No. 98 recruit), Dylan Anderson (No. 108 recruit)
• THE SKINNY: Arizona was a top-five team for the majority of the 2021-2022 season, but the Wildcats will be without their best player in Bennedict Mathurin, rim-protector Christian Koloko and versatile wing Dalen Terry for the upcoming season. Tommy Lloyd won AP National Coach of the Year in his first season as head coach, and he added two impact transfers in the transfer portal and a pair of talented European freshmen. Kerr Kriisa versus Xavier Johnson will be an exciting head-to-head battle.

Kansas Jayhawks

• WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022
• WHERE: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kan.
• LAST YEAR: (34-6, 14-4, 1st in Big 12) No. 1 seed, won National Championship
  
• WHO'S BACK: Jalen Wilson (11.1 ppg), Dajuan Harris (5.4 ppg)
• WHO'S GONE: Ochai Agbaji (18.8 ppg), Christian Braun (14.4 ppg), David McCormack (10.6 ppg), Remy Martin (8.6 ppg), Mitch Lightfoot (4.6 ppg), Jalen Coleman-Lands (3.7 ppg)
• KEY ADDITIONS: Kevin McCullar (10.1 ppg at Texas Tech), Gradey Dick (No. 19 recruit), MJ Rice (No. 29 recruit), Ernest Udeh Jr. (No. 30 recruit), Zuby Ejiofor (No. 51 recruit)
• THE SKINNY: Despite losing three starters from its National Championship team, the Jayhawks reloaded in a way that should put them in contention for another Big 12 title. Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar will help solidify the front court with the loss of David McCormack, and head coach Bill Self gains four top-50 recruits in the class of 2022. Self's 2021 class also featured a trio of top-100 recruits, who played sparingly as freshmen but should be ready to contribute as sophomores. 

Xavier Musketeers

• WHEN: TBA
• WHERE: Cintas Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
• LAST YEAR: (23-13, 8-11, 7th in Big East) Won NIT Championship
  
• WHO'S BACK: Jack Nunge (13.4 ppg), Colby Jones (11.6 ppg), Zach Freemantle (10.4 ppg), Adam Kunkel (8.8 ppg), Jerome Hunter (4.1 ppg)
• WHO'S GONE: Paul Scruggs (11.7 ppg), Nate Johnson (10.3 ppg), Dwon Odom (6.3 ppg)
• KEY ADDITIONS: Souley Boum (19.8 ppg at UTEP), Kam Craft (No. 53 recruit),  Desmond Claude (No. 79 recruit)
• THE SKINNY: Xavier lost seven of nine games to end last season, a collapse big enough to miss the NCAA Tournament and get head coach Travis Steele fired. But the Musketeers found new life, winning the NIT Championship to build some momentum heading into the 2022-2023 season. Sean Miller returns to Xavier after previously coaching there from 2004 to 2009. He welcomes in a pair of top-100 recruits and high-volume scorer Souley Boum from UTEP. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein slots Xavier at No. 20 in his preseason rankings. 

Related stories on Indiana basketball:

• HOOSIER HYSTERIA SLATED FOR OCT. 7: Indiana University athletics announced on Monday that Hoosier Hysteria, the annual tip-off of the men's and women's basketball programs, will be held Homecoming Weekend on Friday, Oct. 7. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA BASKETBALL SCHEDULE ALMOST COMPLETE: Little by little, Indiana's basketball schedule for the 2022-23 season is coming into focus. Here's what we know so far, including 27 opponents and some dates that are now set. This is Mike Woodson's second season in Bloomington, and the Hoosiers are considered one of the Big Ten favorites. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA GETS NORTH CAROLINA: Indiana will host North Carolina in the 2022 Big Ten/ACC Challenge. This matchup will feature Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis versus North Carolina's Armando Bacot, two of the top players in college basketball. CLICK HERE