UNC Basketball Secures Major Thanksgiving Day Matchup with Michigan State for 2025-26
The Tar Heels have added another significant non-conference game for next season.
North Carolina and Michigan State have reached a verbal agreement to compete on Thanksgiving 2025 as part of the Fort Myers Tip-Off tournament, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. The game will be broadcast on FOX following the Detroit Lions’ NFL game. This marks UNC’s second confirmed non-conference match for the 2025-26 season, alongside a game against Kansas.
Norlander noted that “UNC and Michigan State playing on Thanksgiving is a prime example of major college basketball programs aiming for significant holiday viewership on national television,” with more similar games anticipated in the future.
Historically, UNC leads with a 13-5 record against Michigan State, including an 85-69 victory in the 2024 NCAA Tournament‘s second round. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has a 3-10 record against UNC, with a 0-5 mark in NCAA Tournament matchups.
“I don’t know what the reason is,” Izzo remarked last season about his record against UNC. “They’ve been very good teams. We’ve faced great competition.”
Roy Williams retired with a 5-1 record against Izzo and Michigan State, while Hubert Davis, who took over last season, is currently 1-0 against the Spartans. Izzo praised Davis’ early tenure at Chapel Hill, stating, “He does it the right way.”
The game echoes a notable experience from the 2011-12 season when UNC faced Michigan State aboard the USS Carl Vinson, wearing Carolina blue digital camo uniforms and winning 67-55 before a crowd that included military members and President Obama. Harrison Barnes led with 17 points, while John Henson contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and nine blocks.
Leave a Reply