As Carolina prepares to spend Thanksgiving week on the Hawai’ian islands, the Tar Heels now know their holiday plans for 2025. UNC will participate in the 2025 Fort Myers Tip-Off event for the first time next fall, with the team facing Michigan State on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 27, 2025).

UNC and Michigan State have met 17 times overall, with the Tar Heels winning 13 of those matchups. The most recent game came in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in Charlotte, which Carolina won 85-69.

According to the event’s organizers, the only way to guarantee tickets for the Fort Myers Tip-Off is through official fan travel packages. Packages for next year’s event will be available in February. Fan can register to express interest and receive priority access by clicking here.

The event will be played at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida Southwestern State College. The Tar Heels and Spartans are part of the event’s Beach Division. Two other teams are yet to be announced. The winner of the UNC vs. Michigan State matchup will face the winner of the second game, with the losers also facing off. Full dates and game times will be announced “in the coming weeks,” according to the organizers.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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 Buried Under 1st Half Avalanche, Loses at Cal
UNC’s struggling defense found no solutions Saturday afternoon at Cal, as the Bears torched the Tar Heels in the first half and built what turned out to be an insurmountable lead. Despite Carolina mounting a furious comeback attempt in the second half, it fell 84-78 for its third loss in the last four games. Carolina […]
UNC Men's Basketball at Cal (2026): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Time
UNC will wrap up its west coast swing Saturday when it visits Cal in Berkeley. It will be only the second time the Tar Heels have visited the Bears’ Haas Pavilion. If you aren’t out in California with the team, here’s how you can follow along at home: Broadcast Schedule Those hoping to listen on […]
Chansky's Notebook: Unlikely Losing
With the ACC much stronger than last season, close games and losing is inevitable, but not the way UNC has been doing it.
UNC Men's Basketball Collapses Late in Loss at Stanford
Stanford finished the game on an 11-3 run to overcome a late deficit and stun UNC 95-90 at Maples Pavilion Wednesday night. UNC had led for almost the entire game thanks to strong efforts from Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, who both finished the night with 26 points. But they were outgunned by sensational Stanford […]
Chansky's Notebook: On the Coast
Art Chansky discusses the changing nature of college basketball as both UNC and Duke begin west coast swings in California tonight.
'The Basket's Still the Same Height': Hubert Davis Downplays Effects of UNC's California Trip
The UNC men’s basketball game at Stanford Wednesday night will set a record for the longest distance traveled by the Tar Heels to play an Atlantic Coast Conference contest. From the Dean Smith Center to the Cardinal’s Maples Pavilion, the team’s journey will take it 2,788 miles from sea to shining sea. That seemingly unbreakable […]
UNC Men's Basketball at Stanford (2026): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Time
UNC begins a west coast swing late Wednesday night when it visits Stanford in Palo Alto, CA. It’s just the third time ever the Tar Heels have visited the Cardinal’s Maples Pavilion, and their first time doing so as an ACC foe. If you aren’t making the cross-country trek with the team, here’s how you […]
'It's More Than Just Wins': Tar Heels Speak on Dean Smith Center After Arena's 500th Victory
While UNC fans may not care to remember all of the Tar Heels’ 87-84 win against Wake Forest Saturday night – particularly the part where the Demon Deacons nearly erased a 15-point deficit in the second half – the game was historic for one reason: it was the 500th Carolina victory at the Dean Smith […]
UNC Men's Basketball Survives Late Rally, Beats Wake Forest for 500th Smith Center Win
UNC nearly let a 15-point second-half lead slip away but held on by the skin of its teeth to defeat Wake Forest 87-84 at the Smith Center Saturday night. It’s the 500th win for the program at the Smith Center. HEELS WIN.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/ZjnOFvqowg — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) January 11, 2026 UNC began the […]
Chansky's Notebook: Going for 500
History says UNC’s 500th win in the Smith Center won’t be easy against Wake, which has gone 3-3 in its last six games against Carolina.
›