By R.L. Bynum
Coach Hubert Davis’ fourth North Carolina team will face a challenging non-conference schedule that includes at least three — potentially six — opponents in Bart Torvik’s preseason Top 25.
UNC meets at least four teams — potentially 10 — that made the NCAA tournament field last season.
The school officially announced the nonconference schedule on Wednesday. It starts at home on Nov. 4 against Torvik No. 309 Elon before a marquee matchup at a classic venue four days later. The No. 9 Tar Heels take on No. 21 Kansas on Nov. 8 at Allen Fieldhouse.
It will be the second time Carolina has played in Lawrence, Kansas, and the first time since 1960. In 2025–26, the Jayhawks will play in Chapel Hill for the first time. Carolina and Kansas have combined for 10 NCAA championships, 250 wins and 37 Final Fours in 105 NCAA tournament appearances.
After a Nov. 15 game against No. 301 American, the Tar Heels head to Hawaii to face the No. 175 Rainbow Warriors on Nov. 22 before playing in the stacked Maui Invitational from Nov. 25 through 27. The field includes No. 1 and two-time reigning champion UConn, No. 4 Auburn, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 18 Michigan State and No. 23 Colorado. Except for Memphis, every other team in the field, which includes Colorado and Dayton, made last season’s NCAA tournament.
The Maui tournament returns to Lahaina for the first time since devastating fires forced the tournament to relocate to Honolulu for the 2023 tournament.
Carolina has won the Maui Invitational four times (1999, 2004, 2008 and 2016). The Tar Heels are 18–3 in Lahaina. UNC last played in the Maui Invitational in 2020, when the event was held in Asheville because of COVID-19.
UNC returns home on Dec. 4 for an ACC/SEC Challenge game against No. 14 Alabama, which ended the Tar Heels’ season by beating them in the West Regional semifinal.
The Tar Heels go from a home game against No. 174 La Salle on Dec. 14 to a Jumpman Invitational clash in Charlotte on Dec. 17 against No. 22 Florida before meeting No. 88 UCLA on Dec. 21 at Madison Square Garden in the CBS Sports Classic.
Carolina’s final non-conference game will be at the Smith Center on Dec. 29 against No. 305 Campbell.
UNC will likely play at least one ACC game in December, but the league hasn’t announced its schedule. The Tar Heels play home-and-home against Duke, N.C. State and Pittsburgh, only at home against Boston College, California, Georgia Tech, Miami, SMU, Stanford and Virginia and only on the road against Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
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| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 3 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 5 star | Freshman | Sayon Keita | C | 7–0 | 215 |
| 4 star | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–7 | 190 |
| Sophomore | Cade Bennerman — U | C | 7–0 | 205 | |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — W | G | 6–9 | 215 | |
| Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–5 | 196 | |
| Junior | Alexandros Samodurov | C | 6–11 | 212 | |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 174 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | F | 6–10 | 215 |
| Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — Z | G | 6–3 | 193 | |
| Graduate | Cameron Fens — V | C | 7–0 | 255 | |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | F | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | G | 6–1 | 195 |
V — South Dakota transfer; U — Northwestern transfer; W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — Utah transfer; Z — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.
Michael Malone’s coaching staff: Chuck Martin, Bryan Tibaldi, Sean May, Jorge Sanz, and Pat Sullivan; Deon Thompson will be a graduate assistant, and Brandon Robinson will reportedly have a support staff position.
Players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 | Pacific |
| Seth Trimble | Graduate | G | 6–3 | 200 | Louisville |
Non-conference schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday | at Georgetown |
| 15 | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| January | ||
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
ACC opponents
Home and away: Duke and Louisville
Home only: California, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford and Virginia
Away only: Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Don’t play: Clemson
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
