Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

Preview: UNC's Primetime Matchup vs. Kansas

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Grant Chachere | Last updated Nov 6, 2025 7:10 PM ET

No. 25 North Carolina (1-0) will take on No. 19 Kansas in a primetime matchup at the Dean Smith Center on Friday night at 7 p.m.

The Tar Heels are coming off a dominant 94-54 win over Central Arkansas, while the Jayhawks opened their season with a 94-51 victory against Green Bay. Kansas leads the all-time series 7-6 and has won the last five meetings, including last year’s 92-89 win in Lawrence and a 72-69 victory in the 2022 national championship game in New Orleans.

The two blue blood programs share plenty of history. Dean Smith played at Kansas before coaching North Carolina to two national championships from 1961 to 1997. Another Hall of Famer, Roy Williams, served as head coach at both schools. The programs have met three times in the Final Four and twice in the national championship game.

How to Watch

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The game will be a prime time matchup as the Tar Heels will take on the Jayawks at 7 p.m. ESPN will broadcast the game with Dan Shulman (Play-by-Play) and Jay Bilas (Color) will be doing the analysis.

How to Listen

As always, the game will be broadcast by the Tar Heel Sports Network. Jones Angell (Play-by-Play) and Tyler Zeller (Color) will be on the call for Friday night’s game Here is a list of affiliated stations, as well as GoHeels.com, The Varsity Network, TuneIn and Sirius XM channel 193.

This is the First Time That UNC and KU Will Play in Chapel Hill

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Although these two storied programs have met 13 times, this will be the first meeting between them in Chapel Hill. However, it's not the first time they've faced off in North Carolina. The Tar Heels won both previous matchups against the Jayhawks in the state: a 60-49 victory in Raleigh on December 11, 1979, and a 74-67 win in Charlotte on November 28, 1981.

While North Carolina has never hosted Kansas in Chapel Hill, the Jayhawks have hosted the Tar Heels twice, winning both games—a 78-70 victory in the first matchup and a 92-89 win in last year’s contest.

Another Matchup Featuring Lottery Picks

Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

After facing AJ Dybantsa and BYU, North Carolina’s next challenge will be slowing Darryn Peterson, the projected No. 1 overall pick, according to The Athletic, CBS and ESPN. Peterson had 21 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in Kansas’ season-opening win over Green Bay. He went 7-for-11 from the field, 3-for-7 from three-point range and 4-for-4 at the line. He also posted 26 points against No. 11 Louisville in an exhibition game.

Carolina’s Caleb Wilson is also a projected lottery pick with potential to rise into the top five. Wilson had 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in his college debut, and recorded a double-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and a steal against BYU. While Seth Trimble will guard Peterson for most of the night, all eyes will be on these two freshmen.