UNC and Kansas to play home-and-home men’s basketball series

R.L. Bynum,

By R.L. Bynum

Carolina and Kansas will play a home-and-home men’s basketball series, with games in the 2024–25 and 2025–26 seasons.

The series starts in 2024–25, with the Tar Heels visiting Lawrence, Kansas, for the second time in program history and the first time since 1960. When the Jayhawks come to the Smith Center during the 2025–26 season, it will be their first visit to Chapel Hill.

“These two games should be exciting for players and coaches on both teams and a win for fans of college basketball,” UNC head coach Hubert Davis said. “It’s an opportunity for two great programs to play in each other’s home arenas, which are among the best and most historic in our game.”

UNC’s only previous appearance in Allen Fieldhouse was a 78–70 victory on Dec. 17, 1960, in Frank McGuire’s final season as UNC’s head coach and Dean Smith’s third season as an assistant coach at Carolina.

The Tar Heels and Jayhawks have split 12 all-time meetings but Kansas has won four straight games over the last 16 seasons, including a 72–69 victory in the 2022 national championship game in New Orleans.

The teams also met in the 1957 NCAA final. Lennie Rosenbluth led Carolina to the first of its six NCAA championships by defeating Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas 54–53 in three overtimes in Kansas City.

The programs have combined for 10 championships, 247 wins and 37 Final Fours in 103 NCAA tournament appearances. Carolina has the most NCAA tournament wins and Final Fours, is second in appearances and third in championships; Kansas is third all-time in NCAA tournament appearances, fourth in wins, fifth in Final Fours and seventh in titles.

There are 30 former UNC and Kansas players and coaches in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Tar Heels and Jayhawks have won a combined 22 national player-of-the-year awards and 131 first-team All-America honors, including the two most consensus first-team All-America seasons in college basketball history (25 Jayhawks in 32 seasons and 18 Tar Heels in 27 seasons).

Carolina and Kansas rank in the top three in college basketball history in both wins and winning percentage. UNC is second in winning percentage and third in wins; the Jayhawks have the most wins and are third in winning percentage.

Smith played for Phog Allen at Kansas, where he was a member of the 1952 NCAA champions and 1953 NCAA finalists, and was head coach for 36 years at UNC, where he won two NCAA titles, led the Tar Heels to 11 Final Fours and retired as the winningest coach in college basketball history. Following his graduation from KU in 1953, Smith began his Hall of Fame coaching career the following season as a volunteer assistant to Allen and Dick Harp.

Roy Williams was the head coach at Kansas from 1988 to 2003 and Carolina from 2003 to 2021, leading the two programs to a combined nine Final Fours. Williams won NCAA championships with the Tar Heels in 2005, 2009 and 2017, and is the only individual to win 400 games at two schools (418 at Kansas and 485 at Carolina).

Larry Brown played for and coached under Smith at UNC and was the head coach of the Jayhawks for five seasons, leading KU to a pair of Final Fours and the 1988 NCAA championship.

Carolina and Kansas have played seven times in the NCAA tournament, including two championship games (1957 and 2022) and three times in the national semifinals (1991, 1993 and 2008). UNC-Kansas is the most frequently-played matchup in the Final Four, twice more than any other pair of teams have played in the Final Four.

DateMonth/dayTimeOpponent/event
(current ranks)		TV/
record
October
24FridayL, 78–76vs. No. 11 BYU in SLCExhib.
29WednesdayW, 95–53vs. Winston-Salem St.Exhib.
November
3MondayW, 94–54vs. Central Arkansas1–0
7FridayW, 87–74vs. Kansas2–0
11TuesdayW, 89–74vs. Radford3–0
14FridayW, 97–53vs. N.C. Central4–0
18TuesdayW, 73–61vs. Navy5–0
Fort Myers Tip-Off
25TuesdayW, 85–70vs. St. Bonaventure6–0
27ThursdayL, 74–58vs. No. 12 Michigan State6–1
DecemberACC/SEC
Men’s Challenge
2TuesdayW, 67–64at Kentucky7–1
—————————
7SundayW, 81–61vs. Georgetown8–1
13SaturdayW, 80–62vs. USC Upstate9–1
16TuesdayW, 77–58vs. ETSU10–1
CBS Sports Classic
in Atlanta
20SaturdayW, 71–70vs. Ohio State11–1
—————————
22MondayW, 99–51vs. East Carolina12–1
30TuesdayW, 79–66vs. Florida State13–1,
1–0 ACC
January
3SaturdayL, 97–83at SMU13–2, 1–1
10SaturdayW, 87–84vs. Wake Forest14–2, 2–1
14Wednesday9 p.m.at StanfordACCN
17Saturday4 p.m.at CaliforniaACCN
21Wednesday7 p.m.vs. Notre DameESPN2
24Saturday2 p.m.at No. 16 VirginiaESPN
31Saturday2 p.m.at Georgia TechACCN
February
2Monday7 p.m.vs. SyracuseESPN
7Saturday6:30vs. No. 6 DukeESPN
10Tuesday7 p.m.at MiamiESPN or
ESPN2
14Saturday2 p.m.vs. PittsburghESPN
17Tuesday7 p.m.at N.C. StateESPN or
ESPN2
21Saturday1 p.m.at SyracuseABC
23Monday7 p.m.vs. No. 20 LouisvilleESPN
28Saturday6:30 or 8:30vs. Virginia TechESPN or
ESPN2
March
3Tuesday7 p.m.vs. No. 22 ClemsonESPN or
ESPN2
7Saturday6:30at No. 6 DukeESPN
10–14Tues.-Sat.ACC
tournament		Spectrum Center,
Charlotte

The Tar Heel Tribune Facebook group moved to a new location. Follow the page at this link so that you don’t miss any UNC sports coverage.

No.ClassPlayerPos.HgtWgt
8FreshmanCaleb Wilson (5 star)46–10215
5FreshmanIsaiah Denis (4 star)CG6–4180
3FreshmanDerek Dixon (4 star)CG6–5200
40SophomoreIvan Matlekovic57–0255
11SophomoreJonathan PowellG6–6190
2SophomoreJames Brown 56–10240
1SophomoreZayden High46–10230
44JuniorLuca Bogavac
(BO-guh-VAHTS)		W6–6215
4JuniorJaydon Young26–4200
13RS juniorHenri Veesaar
(VEH-sar)		57–0225
0JuniorKyan Evans16–2175
15JuniorJarin Stevenson46–10215
7SeniorSeth Trimble26–3200
Walk-ons
25SophomoreJohn Holbrook46–8230
32JuniorEvan Smith26–1195
6RS seniorElijah Davis26–3205

Former UNC players who transferred

PlayerClass next seasonPos.HgtWgtNext school
Elliot CadeauJuniorPG6–1180Michigan
Jalen WashingtonSeniorC6–10235Vanderbilt
Ian JacksonSophomoreG6–4190St. John’s
Cade TysonSeniorF6–7200Minnesota
Ven-Allen LubinSeniorC6–8230N.C. State
DateMonth/dayTimeOpponent/event
(current ranks)		TV/
record
October
24FridayL, 78–76vs. No. 11 BYU in SLCExhib.
29WednesdayW, 95–53vs. Winston-Salem St.Exhib.
November
3MondayW, 94–54vs. Central Arkansas1–0
7FridayW, 87–74vs. Kansas2–0
11TuesdayW, 89–74vs. Radford3–0
14FridayW, 97–53vs. N.C. Central4–0
18TuesdayW, 73–61vs. Navy5–0
Fort Myers Tip-Off
25TuesdayW, 85–70vs. St. Bonaventure6–0
27ThursdayL, 74–58vs. No. 12 Michigan State6–1
DecemberACC/SEC
Men’s Challenge
2TuesdayW, 67–64at Kentucky7–1
—————————
7SundayW, 81–61vs. Georgetown8–1
13SaturdayW, 80–62vs. USC Upstate9–1
16TuesdayW, 77–58vs. ETSU10–1
CBS Sports Classic
in Atlanta
20SaturdayW, 71–70vs. Ohio State11–1
—————————
22MondayW, 99–51vs. East Carolina12–1
30TuesdayW, 79–66vs. Florida State13–1,
1–0 ACC
January
3SaturdayL, 97–83at SMU13–2, 1–1
10SaturdayW, 87–84vs. Wake Forest14–2, 2–1
14Wednesday9 p.m.at StanfordACCN
17Saturday4 p.m.at CaliforniaACCN
21Wednesday7 p.m.vs. Notre DameESPN2
24Saturday2 p.m.at No. 16 VirginiaESPN
31Saturday2 p.m.at Georgia TechACCN
February
2Monday7 p.m.vs. SyracuseESPN
7Saturday6:30vs. No. 6 DukeESPN
10Tuesday7 p.m.at MiamiESPN or
ESPN2
14Saturday2 p.m.vs. PittsburghESPN
17Tuesday7 p.m.at N.C. StateESPN or
ESPN2
21Saturday1 p.m.at SyracuseABC
23Monday7 p.m.vs. No. 20 LouisvilleESPN
28Saturday6:30 or 8:30vs. Virginia TechESPN or
ESPN2
March
3Tuesday7 p.m.vs. No. 22 ClemsonESPN or
ESPN2
7Saturday6:30at No. 6 DukeESPN
10–14Tues.-Sat.ACC
tournament		Spectrum Center,
Charlotte

Photo via @UNC_Basketball

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Published by R.L. Bynum

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