Why schedule a game against KU at Allen Fieldhouse? North Carolina coach gives reasons
Hubert Davis seemed surprised Friday night when a media member asked the fourth-year North Carolina coach what made him want to play No. 1-ranked Kansas on the road in the second game of the 2024-25 season.
“I wanted to play this game because I love playing basketball. I love competing,” Davis said after the Tar Heels turned a 20-point deficit into a late four-point lead, ultimately falling to KU 92-89 at Allen Fieldhouse.
“But scheduling Kansas here?” the reporter followed up, ostensibly implying it’d be a daunting task to defeat the Jayhawks before 15,300 fans in KU’s tradition-rich hoops palace.
“They’ve got to come to our place next year,” Davis stated. “A game is a game. I just love competing.”
Indeed … the Jayhawks will return the game in 2025-26, traveling to the Dean Dome to face the Tar Heels on Nov. 14, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The two teams had played just one game in a campus setting prior to Friday night. UNC beat KU 78-70 on Dec. 17, 1960, in Allen Fieldhouse.
KU leads the all-time series, 7-6.
“Well I mean any time you bring two unbelievable programs that have terrific kids, talented kids, competitive kids, it doesn’t matter whether it is in March or November, it’s going to be highly competitive,” Davis said.
“You run through that tunnel … I think the last time Carolina played here was 1960. Run through the tunnel, see that crowd, see Kansas across the court, if you can’t be fired up to compete and play in this type of atmosphere against that type of team then something’s wrong with you. I think we bring the same thing out of opponents, and I thought we brought the same thing in Kansas as well,” Davis added.
KU is 5-2 against North Carolina in NCAA Tournament games.
“Total class on both sides,” KU coach Bill Self said of the atmosphere of Friday’s game between the No. 2 (KU) and 3 (UNC) winningest programs of all time.
“It was: Cheer your team but not get after the other team. I think there’s mutual respect because North Carolina and Kansas doesn’t exist without the other one,” Self added.
He explained …
“I mean Dean Smith came from here (and coached at UNC). Larry Brown came from Carolina (and coached at KU). Roy Williams came from Carolina and Kansas (coaching at both places). There are some things about this place.
“The other thing,” Self added, “for the first time in a long time it’s not emotional if Hubert and I play. It was emotional for Roy. It was emotional for coach Smith. It was emotional for Larry. There was too much emotion going on for it to be a good game. Now it’s a good game I think in large part because those emotional ties don’t exist anymore, but there’s nothing but respect for each other. I assume they feel the same too.”
“The atmosphere (Friday) was a 10,” Self continued. “I don’t know it can be turned up much more than it was for 40 minutes tonight.”
The Jayhawks led by as many as 20 points and trailed by four during crunch time.
“You’d rather be taught lessons winning than not winning, there’s no question about that. But if we hadn’t won I wouldn’t have been (upset),” Self said Friday. “Guys, it’s Nov. 8. We are not even going to recognize Carolina in March as the same team. Hopefully you wont recognize us either. It’s a good start. I didn’t want to put too much emphasis on this game.”
Still, Friday’s game could be considered an early-season classic.
And one Davis is glad he scheduled.
This story was originally published November 9, 2024 at 3:24 PM.
