By R.L. Bynum
GREENSBORO — The days of the traditional double round-robin schedule are over in the far-flung 18-school ACC, and with them went the fixture of North Carolina and N.C. State playing home-and-home every basketball season.
For the second consecutive season, the old rivals will only play one league game, with the men’s basketball meeting next season in Smith Center.
There will be two meetings next season, but the other one won’t be in Raleigh. They’ll play a non-conference game in Greensboro at the First Horizon Coliseum on Tuesday, Dec. 15.
The Tobacco Road Classic was officially announced at a Wednesday morning press conference that included first-year coaches Michael Malone of UNC and Justin Gainey of N.C. State. Carolina is expected to officially announce the rest of its nonconference schedule on Thursday.
“This game means something to everybody in this room, and I’m just really excited to be a part of that,” Malone said.
The schools signed a two-year deal, with another game to be played in Greensboro on Dec. 15, 2027.
Public sale of tickets begins on Sept. 10 at Ticketmaster.com and the First Horizon Coliseum box office.
It’s a hint of the old Big Four Tournament that brought UNC, N.C. State, Duke and Wake Forest to Greensboro from 1971 to 1981, but with one game rather than a two-day tournament. UNC and N.C. State last played a December game in Greensboro as part of that tournament in 1979, a 97–84 Carolina win.
From 1967 to 1998, UNC and N.C. State played 14 times in the Greensboro Coliseum, including eight times in the Big Four Tournament and six in the ACC tournament.
It will be UNC’s second game next season in the facility formerly called the Greensboro Coliseum, with the Tar Heels also facing Southern Cal in the arena at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, in an exhibition game. It’s also the venue this season for the ACC tournament.
Carolina holds a 168–82 advantage all-time against the Wolfpack, including 10–4 in Greensboro. UNC rolled to a 73–46 win over State in the last Greensboro meeting under Coach Bill Guthridge in the quarterfinals of the 1998 ACC tournament on its way to winning the ACC title.
Playing without Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, Carolina lost at N.C. State 82–58 in the only meeting last season.
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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 |
Schedule revealed so far
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | ||
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro (exhibition) |
| 18 | Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis (exhibition) |
| November | ||
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 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 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 games
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
