By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina will be front and center on ESPN’s Big Monday schedule twice this winter, and both times, the Tar Heels will play in the first game of the doubleheaders, with each game at the Smith Center.
ESPN unveiled its 2027 men’s college basketball Big Monday schedule on Monday, and Carolina’s two appearances, a Feb. 8 matchup against Louisville and a Feb. 22 clash with Miami, are both slotted for the earlier 7 p.m. window, ahead of the night’s Big 12 doubleheader partner at 9 p.m.
The Feb. 8 game will mark first-year coach Michael Malone’s debut on Big Monday. Malone will face a reloaded Louisville team that has made the NCAA tournament in each of Pat Kelsey’s two seasons at the helm and could include former UNC guard Seth Trimble.
Two weeks later, the Tar Heels host Miami on Feb. 22 in a matchup that could carry real weight for ACC standings and NCAA Tournament positioning as the regular season winds down. The Hurricanes enter year two under Jai Lucas, looking to challenge near the top of the conference, a stretch that began with their own Big Monday appearance against Duke on Feb. 1.
Carolina’s two 7 p.m. windows are part of a five-week Big Monday run that ESPN says will showcase nine top-25 teams from the ACC and Big 12, based on ESPN.com’s Way Too Early rankings.
The ACC side of the ledger includes No. 2 Duke, No. 12 Virginia, No. 15 Louisville and No. 18 Miami, while the Big 12 contingent features No. 6 Arizona, No. 9 Texas Tech, No. 17 Houston, No. 19 BYU and No. 25 Kansas.
The schedule opens Feb. 1 with Miami at Duke on ESPN at 7 p.m., followed by Kansas at Houston at 9 p.m., a matchup pairing two of the sport’s most accomplished coaches, Bill Self and Kelvin Sampson.
The same night, Carolina hosts Louisville on Feb. 8, and TCU visits Arizona in the Big 12 half of the doubleheader as Jamie Dixon’s Horned Frogs look to test themselves against one of the nation’s top-ranked teams.
The following week, Feb. 15, Louisville travels to Virginia, where Ryan Odom enters his second season after a 30-win debut that included the return of one of the conference’s most exciting players in Thijs De Ridder. That night’s Big 12 game pits Houston, winners of at least a Sweet 16 berth in seven straight seasons, against a Texas Tech team with high expectations and the potential return of two-time All-American JT Toppin.
Big Monday closes March 1 with a rematch of the 2026 ACC Championship game, as Virginia visits Duke, which the Blue Devils narrowly beat last season. That night’s Big 12 finale sends Iowa State, which has yet to miss the NCAA Tournament under T.J. Otzelberger, to Kansas, where Self has won two national championships and reached two Final Fours and five Elite Eights since taking over the program in 2003.
For Carolina, though, the headline is simpler: whenever the Tar Heels take the Big Monday stage this season, they’ll be doing it first.
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| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Freshman | Maximo Adams (MAX-ih-mo) | F | 6–7 | 220 |
| 30 | Freshman | Malloy Smith | G | 6–5 | 180 |
| 21 | Freshman | Sayon Keita (SIGH-on KAY-tuh) | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 5 | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–6 | 205 |
| 35 | Sophomore | Cade Bennerman — U | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 17 | Sophomore | Neo Avdalas — W (NEE-oh ahv-DOLL-lus) | G | 6–9 | 220 |
| 2 | Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 185 |
| 3 | Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–5 | 200 |
| 22 | Junior | Alexandros Samodurov (Alex-ANN-drose SAH-muh-DUHR-off) | C | 6–11 | 225 |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 180 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young (JAY-din) | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson (JARE-in) | F | 6–10 | 220 |
| 14 | Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — Z (BRIZZ-ee) | G | 6–3 | 200 |
| 54 | Graduate | Cameron Fens — V (Fenz) | C | 7–0 | 255 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 99 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | F | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | G | 6–1 | 200 |
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.
Coach Michael Malone’s coaching staff — Associate head coach Chuck Martin; assistant coaches Bryan Tibaldi (tih-BALL-dee), Sean May, Jorge Sanz (HOR-hey sahnth), Pat Sullivan and Brandon Robinson; Director of player development Deon Thompson.
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 |
UNC schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. 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 |
| 30 | Wednesday | vs. California |
| January | ||
| 2 | Saturday | at Boston College |
| 5 | Tuesday | at Louisville |
| 9 | Saturday | vs. N.C. State |
| 13 | Wednesday | at Florida State |
| 16 | Saturday | vs. Stanford |
| 19 | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia |
| 23 | Saturday | at Syracuse |
| 26 | Tuesday | vs. SMU |
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
| February | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Notre Dame |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. Louisville |
| 13 | Saturday | at No. 4 Duke |
| 20 | Saturday | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. No. 24 Miami |
| 27 | Saturday | at Virginia Tech |
| March | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
