Tennessee's Rick Barnes has a unique relationship with North Carolina's Hubert Davis

Tennessee has already been on the big stage, winning at Michigan State a month ago and at Wisconsin a little more than two weeks ago, never trailing in either game. The Vols have played elite competition, too, against then-No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Purdue just last week.

Still, going to North Carolina will always be something that’s a little different. 

“I think the whole team is excited to go somewhere like to Chapel Hill,” Tennessee fifth-year senior wing Dalton Knecht said Monday. “I mean, who doesn’t wanna play there?”

No. 10 Tennessee (4-2) and No. 17 North Carolina (5-1) play Wednesday in the first edition of the ACC-SEC Challenge, scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. Eastern Time start on ESPN at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill. 

The Vols are looking to bounce back from the back-to-back losses to Purdue and Kansas in the Maui Invitational while North Carolina is coming off a 2-1 trip and third-place finish in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

“I think we’re all just excited to go over there,” Knecht said, “and play a top-ranked team and go prove ourselves again.”

Rick Barnes on UNC: ‘It’s a storied tradition and everyone that is from North Carolina knows about it’

Years ago, this game would’ve meant more to Rick Barnes. 

The Hickory, N.C., native, made a name for himself nearly 30 years ago when he went toe-to-toe with Dean Smith during the 1994-95 season. 

Barnes got kicked out of Clemson’s home game with the Tar Heels, doing his best to stand up for his Clemson basketball program against powerful North Carolina brand, then had to be separated from Smith at the scorer’s table during a heated exchange at the 1995 ACC Tournament, with Smith unhappy with Clemson’s hard fouls. 

But those days are long gone. 

“First of all,” Barnes said before practice on Monday, “I’ve got great respect for the University of North Carolina. I mean, it’s a storied tradition and everyone that is from North Carolina knows about it, know what it’s about.”

Now Barnes is the veteran head coach with a unique connection to Hubert Davis, the third-year Carolina coach. 

“When I became a head coach,” Barnes said, “he was the very first player I recruited. He grew up, his high school was literally a quarter of a mile from George Mason. He would come over and shoot at George Mason. 

“I can remember sitting on the front bricks out in front of the gym talking to him. And at the time he wasn’t being highly recruited and obviously he grew up wanting to go to North Carolina.” 

No. 10 Tennessee at No. 17 North Carolina, Wednesday, 7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

Barnes in high school played against Walter Davis, the North Carolina star, six-time NBA All-Star and uncle of Hubert Davis.

“So he grew up a huge Carolina (fan) and he basically just said, hey, gimme a chance,” Barnes said. “And he went there and made the most of it.”

Davis scored 1,615 points over four seasons at North Carolina from 1988 to 1992. He was named the new UNC head coach in 2021, replacing Roy Williams after spending 10 years as an assistant coach for the Tar Heels under Williams. 

Davis is 54-24 as Carolina’s head coach, leading the program to the national championship game in his first season in 2021-22 before losing to Kansas. UNC finished 20-13 last season, missing the NCAA Tournament.

It’s not the first meeting between Davis and Barnes. Tennessee beat North Carolina 89-72 in a Hall of Fame Season Tip-Off game in Connecticut in November 2021. Barnes is 6-3 against North Carolina since leaving Clemson.

“(Davis is) just a great human being and a person I have great respect for,” Barnes said. “His whole staff. I mean, I’ve watched all those guys grow up through the years.”