Hubert Davis is open to restoring yearly Kentucky-North Carolina series

Kentucky and North Carolina, two of college basketball’s top three all-time winningest programs, have met on the hardwood 42 times throughout each school’s storied history. The 43rd instance will happen on Saturday in Atlanta as part of the CBS Sports Classic. The Tarheels lead the all-time series 25-17, which includes several memorable matchups over the years — Anthony Davis‘ block on John Henson and Tayshaun Prince‘s five straight threes-pointers quickly come to mind.

From 1959 until 1981, the two teams played each other almost every year. There was a gap between the next meeting until 1989 when the rivalry picked back up, but the Blue Bloods only met three times between then and 2000. The yearly series returned as a home-and-home to start the century and ran for nearly 15 years before the CBS Sports Classic replaced it.

Now, Kentucky and North Carolina only play each other every couple of years on a neutral court. No more trips to Rupp Arena or the Dean Smith Center for either team. Admittedly, it’s made the game lose some of its luster. But at least one head coach is open to renewing the home-and-home series: North Carolina’s Hubert Davis, who was asked during Thursday’s press conference if he would be open to bringing it back.

“Yeah, I would,” Davis said succinctly. “I would. But we’re, I mean — I would. Yes.”

For whatever the reason might have been, John Calipari elected to trade the home-and-home series for the CBS Sports Classic, which also includes rotating opponents Ohio State and UCLA. Kentucky is 4-5 since the Classic began ahead of the 2014-15 season, including a 3-1 mark against the Tar Heels.

And while playing those games at sites such as Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlanta, New York, etc. creates a fun pre-Christmas, mini-vacation for the Big Blue Nation, nothing can compare to a packed Rupp Arena when North Carolina comes to Lexington. UNC fans likely feel the same way about a packed Dean Smith Center when Kentucky comes to Chapel Hill.

It’s time to bring back the UK-UNC home-and-home. North Carolina is in. Let’s make it happen, Cal.