The UNC men’s basketball program revealed the non-conference portion of its 2025-26 regular-season schedule Friday morning.

As usual, the Tar Heels will begin their season with an exhibition game at the Smith Center, as Division 2 foe Winston-Salem State visits October 29. The season’s first official game is scheduled for November 3, when UNC hosts Central Arkansas.

The first major matchup of the season comes just four days later, when the Kansas Jayhawks visit the Smith Center for the first time ever. The game is the second of a two-game series between the programs, with the Tar Heels having visited Allen Fieldhouse at the beginning of the 2024-25 season.

Home games against Radford (November 11), North Carolina Central (November 14) and Navy (November 18) follow the Kansas matchup before UNC heads down to Florida for two games as part of the Fort Myers Tip-Off event during the Thanksgiving holiday. The Tar Heels face St. Bonaventure on November 25 before taking on Michigan State two days later. UNC lost to the Spartans in the Maui Invitational last season.

December 2 will see Carolina visit Kentucky as part of the ACC-SEC Challenge. The visit will be UNC’s first to Rupp Arena since 2014. UNC returns home December 7 to face Georgetown in the first matchup between the two teams since the 2007 NCAA Tournament. That matchup is the first of a home-and-home agreement with the Hoyas; UNC will visit Washington, D.C. during the 2026-27 season.

The Tar Heels will host USC Upstate (December 13) and East Tennessee State (December 16) before hitting the road once again to face Ohio State in Atlanta on December 20 as part of the CBS Sports Classic. Carolina has never lost to the Buckeyes in three previous matchups as part of the event. The Tar Heels will then wrap up the non-conference slate by hosting East Carolina on December 22.

Tip-off times for the games have not yet been publicized.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Brandon Dill

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Men's Basketball vs. Central Arkansas (2025): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Time
Carolina will open the regular season Monday night when it hosts Central Arkansas at the Smith Center. The Tar Heels have not dropped a season opener since the 2001-02 season. If you aren’t attending the game in person, here’s how you can follow along at home: Broadcast Schedule Those hoping to listen on the radio […]
Observations from UNC Men's Basketball's Exhibition Win vs. Winston-Salem State
UNC defeated Winston-Salem State 95-53 in its final exhibition of the preseason at the Dean Smith Center Wednesday night. Here are some observations and takeaways from the Tar Heels’ performance: A slow start leads to a dominant second half Carolina appeared ready to run away early by taking an 18-5 lead, bur Winston-Salem State cut […]
Chansky's Notebook: Free Luka!
With what has happened to the rule of law in this country, UNC clearing Luka Bogavac to play immediately should be a no-brainer.
'He's Not Afraid': UNC Believes It's Found Another DMV Stud in Freshman Derek Dixon
UNC has been impressed with its early returns on freshman Derek Dixon, who was named the Washington, D.C. Player of the Year in high school.
UNC Men's Basketball vs. Winston-Salem State (2025): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Time
UNC will play its second and final exhibition game of the preseason Wednesday night when it hosts Winston-Salem State at the Dean Smith Center. The Tar Heels dropped their first exhibition game, 78-76, at No. 8 BYU last Friday. If you aren’t attending the game in person, here’s how you can follow along at home: […]
Caleb Wilson Stars as UNC Men's Basketball Drops BYU Exhibition, 78-76
Freshman Caleb Wilson scored a game-high 22 points in his first collegiate game, but it wasn’t enough as UNC fell to No. 8 BYU 78-76 in a preseason exhibition in Salt Lake City Friday night. A frantic finish capped off a competitive game, one which saw neither team lead by more than eight points all […]
LISTEN: 97.9 The Hill WCHL's UNC Men's Basketball Season Preview
The Hill WCHL’s Andrew Stuckey, Brighton McConnell and Michael Koh and a host of special guests previewed the 2025-26 UNC men’s basketball season Friday ahead of the Tar Heels’ preseason exhibition game vs. No. 8 BYU. Topics discussed include Carolina’s roster overhaul during the offseason as well as a challenging non-conference schedule, and Stuckey, […]
UNC Men's Basketball vs. BYU (2025): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Time
UNC will travel to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City to face No. 8 BYU for its first exhibition game of the preseason Friday night. The Cougars are coming off a run to the Sweet 16 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and feature top NBA prospect A.J. Dybantsa, who chose BYU over UNC and […]
Chansky's Notebook: Most Talented Tar Heel?
Former UNC basketball mainstay Randy Wiel died earlier this week. Once upon a time, he was almost the Tar Heels' head coach.
You Can Go Home Again: Native Son Jarin Stevenson is Back in Chapel Hill
Jarin Stevenson’s commitment to Alabama in the summer of 2023 was a gut punch to anyone in Carolina Blue. The Seaforth High School superstar and son of a former Carolina women’s basketball player had been heavily recruited by UNC and was previously considered a future Tar Heel. But head coach Nate Oats and the Crimson […]
›