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Michigan basketball draws North Carolina in first annual Jumpman Invitational

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•07/28/22•

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Michigan head coach Juwan Howard is 5-1 in NCAA Tournament games since being hired. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Michigan Wolverines basketball now has its opponent for the 2022 Jumpman Invitational, the first-annual event. The Maize and Blue will take on North Carolina at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte Dec. 21 at 7 p.m., one day after the U-M women’s team plays the Tar Heels at the same time. The game will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks.

The other participants for the event along with Michigan and North Carolina are Florida and Oklahoma. Those four schools all wear Jordan Brand uniforms, fitting the theme for the invitational.

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This matchup marks the fifth non-conference meeting between Michigan and North Carolina over the last six seasons. Over the last few years, three have come in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge (2017, ’18, ’21) and one at the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis. The Maize and Blue are 2-2 in the last four tilts, with wins in 2018-19 and 2019-20. Last year, Michigan traveled to Chapel Hill and was blown out, 72-51, by the eventual national runner-ups.

Overall, Michigan trails North Carolina 5-4 all-time. With the upcoming game in Charlotte, seven of the 10 games have been at a neutral site, including four NCAA Tournament matchups. Michigan head coach Juwan Howard and the Wolverines lost to North Carolina, 77-71, in the 1993 national title game.

This December, Michigan will take on one of the best teams in the nation. The Tar Heels check in No. 1 on ESPN.com’s ‘way-too-early’ rankings and return four starters, including senior big man Armando Bacot, a former AAU teammate of U-M junior center Hunter Dickinson.

Michigan non-conference schedule coming together

U-M’s non-conference schedule isn’t officially set yet, but here are dates that have been reported so far. The Wolverines will have big challenges against Virginia and Kentucky, plus other notable contests.

• Legends Classic (Arizona State, Michigan Pittsburgh and VCU) — Nov. 16-17 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

• ACC/Big Ten Challenge vs. Virginia — Nov. 29

• vs. Kentucky in London — Dec. 4

• vs. Lipscomb — Dec. 17

• Jumpman Invitational vs. North Carolina in Charlotte — Dec. 21

• vs. Central Michigan — Dec. 30

Wolverines Big Ten schedule breakdown

Dates for Michigan’s Big Ten schedule have not yet been released, but the Wolverines know who they’ll play and where.

Michigan will play single home games against Nebraska, Ohio State and Purdue at Crisler Center with one-off road games at Illinois, Iowa and Rutgers. The Wolverines will take on MSU, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State and Wisconsin in home-and-home series.

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