UNC Basketball: Your guide to Live Action with Carolina Basketball

So it isn’t happening the night before a home football game, but maybe it’s for the best that the countdown to the start of basketball season happens when the calendar has turned to October.

The 2022-23 Tar Heels will be making their first appearance to the public. It was once the celebration dubbed “Late Night” that really wasn’t so late anymore because the whole tradition of Midnight Madness practices vanished a long time ago. They tried it last year, but then Hubert Davis, during that magical NCAA Tournament run, gave officials the new name in a famous interview:

So with us being one step closer to basketball, let’s take a peek at how UNC is going to start the excitement to what should be two outstanding basketball seasons.

Wait, Two?

Yes! The name change wasn’t just in the fact it went from “Late Night” to “Live Action.” Last year, head coach Hubert Davis followed in Roy Williams’ footsteps and had his name attached to the event. This year, though, it’s just “Live Action With Carolina Basketball.” The women’s team had always played a part of the celebrations, but with the event being named after the head coach, they always felt like a sideshow compared to the main event.

This year, after a Sweet 16 run that gave the eventual national champion South Carolina Gamecocks their hardest show, and an offseason that saw Deja Kelly become an NIL star similar to Armando Bacot, the women’s team deserves its full share of the spotlight. Expect both squads to get the full spotlight entrance, and an equal share of the activities.

What Activities?

The usual events will take place in that there will be some dancing, some scrimmages, maybe some skits, and some co-ed all-star competitions. All the sorts of fun that you’ve come to expect.

In addition, students will have the chance to win prizes. On Wednesday, UNC’s basketball Twitter announced five raffle prizes that only students will have a chance to win:

I don’t know if the Duke tickets or the Air Jordans are more valuable.

With this, expect a high student turnout that’ll bring the energy.

Who’s running this show?

BDaht is once again in charge, as he’s taken over the mantle of hype man during game days. In an event that is meant to skew younger, he’s going to be a good fit, especially as someone who’s a radio host and meant to entertain versus some of the hosts recently that are great alums but don’t quite hold the people’s attention.

What time does this all happen?

The gates open up at 6 PM, the event is schedule to start at 7:30 PM. Note that students go in one section, the rest will go in others.

How do I get there?

If you’re going, great! Tar Heel Express will run their usual shuttle service, only at the Friday Center. It’s $6 for a round trip. If your preference is to park on campus, it’ll be $10 at the big lots on campus (Bowles, Craige, Manning, Jackson, Rams Head, Bell Tower). The lots open at 5 PM.

How do I watch?

Thanks to the magic of this thing called the World Wide Web, you can watch the practice on this very device! Or a bigger one, if that’s your preference. As long as you have access to the ACC Network on your cable system, you can stream Live Action. Just go to the ESPN app and look for the Live Action link, or hit up watch ESPN on your web browser if that’s your preference.

Any recruits I should know about?

Sherrell McMillan previewed a big one over at Inside Carolina yesterday. Elliot Cadeau was originally set to visit this weekend in a low-key official visit. Now it’s not so low-key. Cadeau is the top ranked point guard in the 2024 class, and has only had one other official visit, so it’s fair to say he’s going to get a different experience than he thought.

That should do it. Settle in your seat in the Smith Center or on the device of your choice and enjoy the celebration of Carolina Basketball!