KU, UNC to play ‘Blue Bloods’ home-and-home

07/24/2023

Basketball recruiting insider.
Joined ESPN in 2014.
Graduate of University of Delaware.

In what has been deemed the “Battle of the Blue Bloods,” Kansas and North Carolina announced on Monday morning a two-game, home-and-home series beginning in 2024.

The first game will take place on Nov. 8, 2024, in Lawrence, Kansas, with the return game scheduled for Nov. 14, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It will mark just the second time the two teams have faced each other at Allen Fieldhouse and will be the first meeting in the Dean Smith Center.

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

“These two games should be exciting for players and coaches on both teams and a win for fans of college basketball,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said. “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.”

Kansas and North Carolina are two of the most successful programs in the history of college basketball, with Kansas the winningest program and North Carolina third in wins. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, are the leader in Final Four appearances, while Kansas ranks fifth.

The all-time head-to-head series between the two teams is tied 6-6, with Kansas coming out on top in the past four meetings.

Some of the biggest names in the sport are also intertwined with the two programs. Three Hall of Fame coaches have represented both schools. Dean Smith played on Kansas’ 1952 national championship team and then coached 36 seasons at North Carolina. Larry Brown played for and was an assistant coach under Smith for the Tar Heels, and he later coached five seasons at Kansas, winning the 1988 national championship.

Perhaps the most notable link between the two programs is Roy Williams, who coached for 14 seasons at Kansas before leaving for North Carolina, his alma mater, where he coached for 18 seasons. Williams went to four Final Fours with Kansas and won three national championships with the Tar Heels.

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