UNC Basketball Agrees to Major 2025 Thanksgiving Showdown

As the UNC basketball coaches get the Tar Heels prepped for the 2024-25 regular season, they're also making big plans for 2025-26.

UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis versus Michigan State / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The UNC basketball program has already marked its calendar for Thanksgiving 2025, according to a report from CBS Sports' Matt Norlander on Wednesday evening, as the Tar Heels and Michigan State "have verbally agreed to player each other" in next year's four-team Fort Myers Tip-Off.

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Norlander added that the UNC-Michigan State showdown "will air in the late afternoon on Fox after the Lions NFL game." Meanwhile, the mid-major teams for the event are still "TBD," the national college hoops insider noted in his post.

UNC leads the all-time series against Michigan State, 13-4, including victories in six of their past seven outings dating back to the Final Four pitstop in the national championship journey of Roy Williams' 2004-05 Tar Heels.

And Carolina boasts a 6-0 record versus the Spartans in NCAA Tournament bouts, including the 2008-09 Tar Heels' 89-72 triumph in the national championship game.

Assuming the 69-year-old Tom Izzo is still at the helm for the Spartans at this time next year, the big-time Thanksgiving clash will offer a coaching rematch between the Michigan State legend and UNC basketball's 54-year-old Hubert Davis, currently gearing up for his fourth season in charge.

As a head coach, Davis' lone meeting with Izzo came in last season's NCAA Tournament Round of 32, an 85-69 Tar Heel win in Charlotte.

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