CHAPEL HILL– The Tar Heels will be bowling in Charlotte. UNC accepted an invitation to represent the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 2013 Belk Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 28, in Bank of America Stadium.

6-6 Carolina will face 9-3 Cincinnati of the American Athletic Conference at 3:20 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

“I’m excited for our team, especially our seniors, who fought through some early season adversity and won five of the last six games to become bowl eligible,” Head Coach Larry Fedora says.

The Tar Heels will be hoping to improve upon their rather sour history in Charlotte postseason play. Carolina will be making its fourth appearance in the bowl hosted in Charlotte, but will be seeking a first win. UNC lost to Boston College in 2004, West Virginia in 2008 and Pittsburgh in 2009.

“This is a resilient bunch of guys that kept believing in one another throughout the year and I’m glad they were rewarded with a bowl game. We’re looking forward to facing a very good Cincinnati team led by an outstanding coach in Tommy Tuberville,” Coach Fedora says.

The Tar Heels made history just to get to the bowl season. They are only the sixth team since the regular season expanded to 12 games in 2006 to start the season 1-5 and make a bowl game. And only Rutgers in 2008 came from a BCS conference.

The Bearcats will be making their second appearance in the Belk Bowl after downing Duke 48-34 last year in Bank of America Stadium.

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