NC State, UNC Basketball to Move Rivalry to Greensboro

CHAPEL HILL – For the first time since 1979, the North Carolina Tar Heels will play NC State in a non-conference men’s basketball game in the regular season when the teams meet Dec. 15, 2026, in the Tobacco Road Classic presented by Old Dominion Freight Line in Greensboro’s First Horizon Coliseum (formerly the Greensboro Coliseum).

Last season was the first time since 1919 the teams played only once. Beginning in 1920 with the third of what are now 250 games in the series, the teams played home-and-home every year through 2025. The teams played once in Raleigh last season and were scheduled to play only in Chapel Hill this coming season in ACC play.

The teams will return to Greensboro for the second Tobacco Road Classic during the 2027-28 season.

From 1967 to 1998, UNC and NC State played 14 times in the Greensboro Coliseum, including eight times in the Big Four Tournament and six in the ACC Tournament. The Big Four also included Duke and Wake Forest and was played annually at the start of or early in the season from 1970-1980.

Carolina is 128-40 all-time in Greensboro, including 120-36 in the coliseum. The 120 wins are the most by UNC in any off-campus arena.

Members of the Rams Club will have first access to tickets within the UNC allotment for the Dec. 15, 2026, game. Details will be emailed to Rams Club members later this week.