By R.L. Bynum
Carolina fans will get a chance to watch the Tar Heels men’s basketball players play in a Blue-White scrimmage in Cherokee, N.C.
The NIL event will be at noon on Sunday, Oct. 13, at the Harrah’s Cherokee Resort Event Center, two days before the Tar Heels head farther west for a 7 p.m. ET exhibition game scrimmage at Memphis in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic.
Details and pricing have yet to be announced, but an official announcement is expected soon. Tickets go on sale on Friday.
The arena is an hour’s drive from Asheville and a nearly 4½-hour drive from Chapel Hill.
There was a similar event on Aug. 27, 2022, in the Smith Center (top photo) when RJ Davis scored 24 points as Davis’ White team won 80–69, with Caleb Love scoring 22 for the Blue team.
Before last season, a similar event was planned on Sept. 9 in the Smith Center but was canceled.
UNC faces Johnson C. Smith in a Smith Center exhibition at 2 p.m. on Oct. 27. The Tar Heels open the season at home on Nov. 4 against Elon before visiting Kansas on Nov. 8.
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Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Isaiah Denis, Derek Dixon, Kyan Evans, Jonathan Powell, Jaydon Young, James Brown and Zayden High return and the players in the incoming freshman class hold in their commitment, which would put UNC six under the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Freshman | Dylan Mingo | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 5 | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 4 | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 40 | Junior | Ivan Matlekovic | 5 | 7–0 | 255 |
| 44 | Senior | Luca Bogavac | W | 6–6 | 215 |
| 13 | RS senior | Henri Veesaar | 5 | 7–0 | 225 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–10 | 215 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | 2 | 6–1 | 195 |
In transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 |
| Isaiah Denis | Sophomore | G | 6–4 | 180 |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 |
| Jaydon Young | Senior | G | 6–4 | 200 |
Key offseason dates
Tuesday — Transfer portal opened
April 16 — Deadline to request evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee
11:59 p.m. April 21 — Transfer portal closes
11:59 p.m. April 26 — NBA early entry deadline
May 8–10 — G-League Combine in Chicago
May 10 — NBA Draft Lottery
May 10–17 — NBA Draft Combine in Chicago
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
Week of June 22 (date to be determined) — NBA Draft
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