By R.L. Bynum

North Carolina’s women will play host to perennial power South Carolina and the UNC men’s team will be at home against Tennessee in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.

The Tar Heels nearly faced the Gamecocks in a closed scrimmage before last season, but it was canceled because of injuries on Coach Courtney Banghart’s team. The teams scrimmaged at South Carolina two seasons ago.

It adds to a challenging schedule for the women’s team, including facing UConn on Dec. 10 in Uncasville, Conn., playing in an eight-team Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla., Nov. 24–26, that includes Iowa, and meeting Oklahoma in the Jumpman Invitational on Dec. 19.

The Heels will face the Gamecocks in Carmichael Arena at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30. They last met when South Carolina beat UNC 69–61 in the Sweet 16 on its way to winning the 2022 national title. It was the closest game for the Gamecocks in that NCAA tournament. The previous meeting before that was South Carolina’s win over UNC in the 2015 Sweet 16.

North Carolina leads the series 11–9. It will be the first meeting at a non-neutral site since UNC visited South Carolina, and the Gamecocks won 98–71 on Jan. 4, 1989. The most recent game in Chapel Hill was the previous season, when UNC won 77–73 at Carmichael on Dec. 12, 1987.

The men’s game against Tennessee is set for 7:15 on Wednesday, Nov. 29. UNC is 10–2 against the Volunteers and has won all three meetings in Chapel Hill, the last a 73–71 victory on Dec. 11, 2016.

Tennessee defeated UNC 89–72 in the last meeting on Nov. 21, 2021, in Uncasville, Conn., in the Hall of Fame Tipoff. Brady Manek led the Tar Heels with 24 points, Armando Bacot had 16 points and 12 rebounds and RJ Davis added 14 points and four assists.

Because ESPN lost the Big Ten contract, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge ended, leading to the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge next season. All games will air on either ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC Network or SEC Network.

ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge

MEN
Tuesday, Nov. 28
LSU at Syracuse, 7 p.m.
Missouri at Pitt, 7 p.m.
Mississippi State at Georgia Tech, 7 p.m.
Notre Dame at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
Miami at Kentucky, 7:30 p.m.
N.C. State at Ole Miss, 9 p.m.
Clemson at Alabama, 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 29
Tennessee at North Carolina, 7:15 p.m.
Texas A&M at Virginia, 7:15 p.m.
Florida at Wake Forest, 7:15 p.m.
Duke at Arkansas, 9:15 p.m.
Virginia Tech at Auburn, 9:15 p.m.
Georgia at Florida State, 9:15 p.m.
Boston College at Vanderbilt, 9:15 p.m.
WOMEN
Wednesday, Nov. 29
Florida at Georgia Tech, 5 p.m.
Notre Dame at Tennessee, 5 p.m.
Vanderbilt at NC State, 7:15 p.m.
Miami at Mississippi State, 7:15 p.m.
Louisville at Ole Miss, 9:15 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 30
Missouri at Virginia, 5 p.m.
Duke at Georgia, 5 p.m.
Alabama at Syracuse, 7 p.m.
South Carolina at North Carolina, 7 p.m.
Arkansas at Florida State, 7 p.m.
Boston College at Kentucky, 7 p.m.
Texas A&M at Wake Forest, 9 p.m.
Virginia Tech at LSU, 9 p.m.
Clemson at Auburn, 9 p.m.