UNC basketball secures another high-profile nonconference game as schedule fills out

The CBS Sports Classic announced its lineup for the 10th annual event, including a nonconference matchup between North Carolina and Kentucky on Dec. 16 at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena.

This is the fifth time the storied programs have met in the CBS Sports Classic and the 43rd time overall.

The game will mark UNC’s first game at State Farm Arena since the 2012 ACC Tournament, when the venue was Phillips Arena.

UCLA and Ohio State will also face off in this year’s CBS Sports Classic at 3 p.m. with UNC-Kentucky to follow. Tickets go on sale Aug. 24.

The Tar Heels have struggled to defeat the Wildcats during the nationally televised event, being only 1-3 despite leading the overall series, 25-17. Kentucky defeated UNC the last time the two met, 98-69, during the 2021 CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas.

UNC and Kentucky have combined to make 38 Final Fours while winning 14 NCAA championships. The Tar Heels and Wildcats rank first and second in NCAA Tournament appearances, games and victories. They are two of the top three teams in all-time NCAA basketball wins.

UNC holds a 6-3 CBS Sports Classic record, the top overall record of the four teams.

While UNC hasn’t released its full nonconference schedule for the 2023-24 season yet, but will host Tennessee for the SEC/ACC Challenge on Nov. 29 while also playing reigning NCAA champion Connecticut on Dec. 5 in the Jimmy V Classic at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The Tar Heels are also in the eight-team, Battle 4 Atlantis field where they’ll face Northern Iowa on Nov. 22 and either Villanova or Texas Tech on Nov. 23. On Nov. 24, UNC will face either Arkansas, Memphis, Michigan or Stanford in its tournament finale in the Bahamas.