By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina and Illinois, two programs with national ambitions and a shared history on college basketball’s biggest stages, will meet Jan. 30 in the Nashville Hoops Showdown at Bridgestone Arena.
The late-season non-conference matchup will bring together two teams expected to contend for league championships, adding a marquee national test in the middle of conference play. Game time and television information will be announced later. The arena is the home of the NHL’s Nashville Predators.
The meeting will be the ninth between the Tar Heels and Illini, with the series tied 4–4. It will be their first matchup since 2010 and another chapter in a series that includes North Carolina’s 75–70 victory over Illinois in the 2005 national championship game when current assistant coach Sean May earned Most Outstanding Player honors.
The programs first met in 1951, later played a home-and-home series in 1986 and 1987, and then faced each other five times in an eight-year stretch from 2002 to 2010. Now, after more than 16 years apart, they will renew that history in downtown Nashville.
UNC won four of the first six meetings, but Illinois has won the two matchups since the 2005 title game.
For Carolina, the game will come during a new era under Coach Michael Malone. He said the matchup gives the Tar Heels the kind of national-stage test that can sharpen a team late in the season.
“Stepping out of conference play for a high-profile national game presents a good opportunity for both programs,” Malone said. “Illinois was a Final Four team last year and we expect they will have another outstanding team. It should be a great test for us.”
Illinois enters next season with momentum after advancing to the Final Four, the program’s first trip to the national semifinals in more than two decades. Coach Brad Underwood, entering his 10th season as head coach, has led the Illini to six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including last season’s 28–9 finish and Final Four run.
The Illini are expected to return several key players from that team, including David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Andrej Stojakovic and Jake Davis. Underwood said the chance to face UNC in Nashville will resonate with his program and its fan base.
“North Carolina is one of college basketball’s most storied programs, and they will have an excellent team once again,” Underwood said. “We had a tremendous experience in Nashville last season, and I know our fans will be excited to return to the Music City on Jan. 30 to watch us face the Tar Heels.”
The Illini beat Tennessee 75-62 last season on Dec. 6 in Bridgestone Arena in the Music City Madness event on their way to a 28–9 season. Illinois lost 71–62 to UConn in a national semifinal.
The game will match two decorated programs. North Carolina has won six NCAA Tournament championships, reached a record 21 Final Fours and posted more than 2,400 victories, third-most in Division I history. Illinois has won 18 Big Ten championships, made 36 NCAA Tournament appearances and reached six Final Fours.
Tickets for the game will go on sale Oct. 15, with a one-day presale set for Oct. 14. Fans can register for the presale at NashvilleHoopsShowdown.com/tickets. Travel package information is available at NashvilleHoopsShowdown.com/travel.
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Series: UNC 4, Illinois 4
UNC is one under the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| 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 |
| Freshman | Alexandros Samodurov | C | 6–11 | 212 | |
| RS freshman | Cade Bennerman — W | C | 7–0 | 205 | |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — X | G | 6–9 | 215 | |
| Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Sophomore | Matt Able — Y | G | 6–5 | 196 | |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Z | G | 6–3 | 174 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 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 |
W — Northwestern transfer. X — Virginia Tech transfer; Y — N.C. State transfer; Z — Utah transfer
Michael Malone’s coaching staff: Chuck Martin, Bryan Tibaldi, Sean May and Pat Sullivan; Deon Thompson will be a graduate assistant, and Brandon Robinson will reportedly have a support staff position.
Players who left for the 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 |
Schedule so far
(Other than the ACC/SEC Challenge, games without links revealed from reporting by Alex Rosinski or Rocco Miller)
(13 of 14 games)
Oct. 18 — exhibition game vs. Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
Nov. 27 — vs. West Virginia at the Dick Vitale Invitational at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center
Dec. 1 — vs. Arkansas in ACC/SEC Challenge
Dec. 6 — vs. Butler
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 15 (tentative date) — vs. N.C. State in a non-conference game in Greensboro
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, 2:30 p.m.
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
Jan. 30 — vs. Illinois in Nashville, Tenn.
ACC games
Home and away: Duke, Louisville
Home only: California, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford, Virginia
Away only: Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Photo by Smith Hardy
