UNC Unveils 2025-26 Non-Conference Basketball Schedule
On Friday morning, UNC officially released its full 2025-26 non-conference basketball schedule. While many matchups had previously been announced individually, the complete slate — now with confirmed dates — provides a clear picture of the Tar Heels’ early-season path.
The season opens with a home game against Central Arkansas, followed by a marquee matchup against Kansas on the first Friday of the regular season. Unlike last year’s dramatic loss in Lawrence, this rematch will take place in Chapel Hill, giving Seth Trimble and company an early opportunity for a statement win.
UNC will then host Radford, North Carolina Central, and Navy, marking five straight home games to start the season — a significant increase from the two they had before heading to Hawaii last year.
Over Thanksgiving week, the Tar Heels will travel to Florida for the Fort Myers Tip-Off. There, they’ll face St. Bonaventure and Michigan State — the latter a rematch from last year’s non-conference schedule. The event is not a tournament format, so these two games will be UNC’s only contests that week, with the Michigan State game taking place on Thanksgiving Day.
Immediately after, UNC heads to Rupp Arena to take on Kentucky in the annual ACC-SEC Challenge. North Carolina previously hosted Tennessee and Alabama in this event, making this their first road matchup in the series.
As winter break approaches, the Tar Heels return to the Smith Center for the first of a new home-and-home series with Georgetown, followed by games against USC Upstate and ETSU. Their final high-profile test before conference play will come in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta, where they’ll face Ohio State at State Farm Arena. UNC defeated UCLA in this event last year — the Bruins have since been replaced by St. John’s.
The non-conference slate wraps up with an in-state clash against East Carolina on December 22. The official ACC schedule has yet to be announced, but based on last season, UNC’s second conference game may land around New Year’s Day. Changes to league scheduling policies could impact timing, with the full conference schedule typically released in mid-September.
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