UNC Basketball: The Tar Heels will face UConn in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden

Earlier this afternoon it was announced by Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today that the North Carolina Tar Heels will face off against the UConn Huskies this fall in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. The announcement came via his Twitter account:

For those keeping count, this means that the Tar Heels will travel to the Bahamas, Atlanta, and New York City during the non-conference part of the season, and also have a Jumpman Invitational matchup against Oklahoma in Charlotte. It is n’t much of a surprise that the Heels found a way to play in the Big Apple: Hubert Davis has mentioned in the past that he would like to play in NYC as much as possible, which is a place where he has a lot of ties to. There is no additional information known at this time about what day or what time the event will take place, so we should hear more in the coming weeks.

As far as UConn goes, the Heels hold a 5-1 all-time record against them, and the two teams haven’t faced off against one another since 2005. This game will be a more high-profile game than it would’ve been a year ago thanks to the Huskies winning their fifth national championship this past season. On the other side of the aisle, the Tar Heels failed to make the tournament and declined to play in the 2023 NIT, but have been reloading the roster ever since March. As of right now, Hubert Davis has two more scholarships to hand out, and who will get them is anybody’s guess thanks to reclassification rumors and a constant transfer portal presence.

It will be a little while longer before we get UNC’s full 2023-24 schedule, but right now it seems like they will have no shortage of opportunities to prove themselves early in the season. What do you think about the Jimmy V Classic announcement? Let us know in the comments below.