North Carolina, Kansas schedule home-and-home basketball series

Two of the top programs in college basketball have agreed to a home-and-home series as Kansas and North Carolina will meet on the hardwood soon. The scheduled games were announced Monday morning.

The first of the two games will be played in the 2024-25 season when UNC travels to Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. That matchup will take place on Nov. 8, 2024.

The following season, Kansas and North Carolina will play at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill. That game will be played on Nov. 14, 2025.

UNC and Kansas have only faced off 12 times ever, with only one of the meetings taking place at Allen Fieldhouse. The 2025 game will mark the first time the programs have played at the Dean Smith Center.

“These will be two great games from programs whose rich histories are intertwined so much,” Kansas coach Bill Self said in a statement. “It will be a special day in both Chapel Hill and Lawrence when we play and I am looking forward to it.”

The two programs have split the 12 meetings thus far, with both UNC and Kansas each winning six. The most recent matchup came on the sport’s biggest stage when North Carolina faced the Jayhawks with the 2022 national title on the line. Kansas ended up coming out on top in a thrilling 72-69 game in New Orleans.

Heading into the 2023-24 season, Kansas is first all-time in college basketball wins with 2,385. North Carolina ranks third with 2,347.

“These two games should be exciting for players and coaches on both teams and a win for fans of college basketball,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said in a statement. “It’s an opportunity for two great programs to play in each other’s home arenas, which are among the best and most historic in our game.”

More on Kansas and North Carolina basketball programs

According to a release from UNC, the two programs have combined for 10 championships, 247 wins and 37 Final Fours in 103 NCAA Tournament appearances.

North Carolina is first all-time in NCAA Tournament wins and Final Fours, second in appearances and third in championships. Kansas isn’t far behind as the Jayhawks are third all-time in NCAA Tournament appearances, fourth in wins, fifth in Final Fours and seventh in titles.

Dean Smith played for Phog Allen at Kansas. He was a member of the 1952 NCAA championship team. Smith went on to be the head coach at North Carolina for 36 years. He won two NCAA titles with the Tar Heels and retired as the winningest coach in college basketball history.

Former UNC coach Roy Williams was the head coach at Kansas from 1988-2003. He led the programs to a combined nine Final Fours.