“UNC Basketball Stunned by NC State Loss—And You Won’t Believe What’s Next on the New Schedule!”
Another ACC Tradition Bites the Dust — UNC vs. NC State Rivalry Takes a Hit in New Schedule Shake-Up
The ACC just made it official: say goodbye to the 20-game basketball schedule — and with it, yet another piece of college basketball tradition.
In a decision that’s both strategic and bittersweet, the league announced Wednesday that it will drop to an 18-game conference format starting in the 2025–26 season. The goal? To open up two more non-conference game slots, giving top-tier programs a shot at adding resume-boosting matchups come March Madness.
Sounds like smart business — but at what cost?
Instead of adopting the ACC women’s model, which rotates opponents evenly, the men’s format will maintain a single guaranteed home-and-home rivalry (UNC-Duke, of course), rotate one additional home-and-home opponent, and completely skip one conference team each season.
That means what many feared is now real: UNC and NC State’s annual two-game rivalry is on the chopping block.
While UNC-Duke was always safe — it’s the crown jewel of college hoops and the ratings magnet ESPN practically built a network on — the UNC-State home-and-home tradition has officially lost protected status. The rivalry that’s delivered decades of heated matchups, packed arenas, and bragging rights now risks becoming a once—a—year—or—even—once—every—few—years event.
And here’s the twist of the knife: NC State might be partially to blame for this shift.
In the ACC’s turbulent 2023 expansion vote — the one that added Stanford, Cal, and SMU — it was NC State’s swing vote that greenlit the league’s massive realignment. That move, driven by fear of losing members and TV revenue, directly led to the bloated 18-team conference structure we’re dealing with now. A structure too large to preserve most home-and-home rivalries. Irony, anyone?
With the tradition tossed aside in favor of market value and scheduling flexibility, one of the Triangle’s fiercest rivalries could be relegated to a single-game sideshow. Or worse: no matchup at all in a given season.
For longtime fans, it stings. The annual State-Carolina home-and-home wasn’t just a scheduling quirk — it was a ritual. The chance for each team to defend their home court, the electricity of a split crowd, the animosity, the upsets, the sweet sweep celebrations — it’s all been chipped away.
What comes next? We’ll know soon. The ACC schedule is set to drop in the coming weeks, and fans will find out whether UNC and NC State are getting one final encore… or whether the curtain is closing on this once-sacred tradition.
As for the two newly available non-conference slots, UNC now has? Stay tuned — because with March in mind, the Tar Heels might just be aiming for prime-time matchups.
UNC Basketball gets a commitment from transfer big man.Henri Veesaar
UNC Lands Key Frontcourt Piece as Arizona Transfer Henri Veesaar Commits to Tar Heels
After a fast and focused recruiting effort, North Carolina has landed its guy.
On Friday afternoon, 7-foot Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar announced his commitment to UNC, giving the Tar Heels a crucial interior presence they’ve been hunting all offseason. The Estonian big man, who brings two years of eligibility, becomes a cornerstone addition to Hubert Davis’s 2025–26 roster.
Veesaar hit the portal on March 31, and it didn’t take long for UNC to make its intentions known. The coaching staff zeroed in quickly, getting him on campus before the NCAA’s recruiting dead period — a clear sign they weren’t just interested, they were all-in. That commitment paid off.
While Veesaar wasn’t a full-time starter at Arizona, his sophomore season showed major growth. He averaged 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game — but his versatility stands out. A true modern big, he connected on 32.7% of his threes and flourished as a pick-and-roll weapon, giving Carolina a rare stretch-five option it hasn’t consistently had in years.
The Tar Heels entered the offseason thin up front and in need of size, skill, and mobility. Veesaar checks all three boxes — and then some. Among several quality big men available in the portal, he always felt like UNC’s top priority. Now, he’s Chapel Hill-bound.
This commitment is a major win for Davis and his staff, plugging a gaping hole in the frontcourt and providing the type of two-way upside that can swing games. There’s still work to do — particularly at point guard — but this is the kind of move that sets the tone for the rest of the summer.
With Veesaar in the fold, Carolina’s offseason is off to a strong and promising start.
A former basketball target for UNC decommits after being selected unexpectedly.
Back in the fall, UNC basketball was in the mix for longtime Tar Heel fan Niko Bundalo
The 6-foot-10 senior forward from Prolific Prep (Calif.) had listed UNC among his top nine schools and later included them in his final four, alongside UConn, Michigan State, and Ohio State. However, in a surprising move last November, Bundalo committed to Washington — a program that hadn’t made his previous shortlist.
Now, the recruitment race is back on. Multiple reports on Tuesday confirmed that Bundalo has been released from his signed commitment to Washington and is once again available.
Ranked No. 31 nationally in the 2025 class by the 247Sports Composite, Bundalo is now the second-highest ranked uncommitted prospect in the cycle.
It remains uncertain whether UNC head coach Hubert Davis will pursue him again, though Bundalo’s deep-rooted connection to the Tar Heels — inspired by his mother’s admiration for Michael Jordan — could make Chapel Hill a natural fit. The Tar Heels still have roster spots open for next season.
UNC Basketball Makes the Cut for the Elite Forward List
The UNC basketball program remains in the hunt for five-star recruit Anthony Thompson, who announced his top 15 schools over the weekend.
In early January, Western Reserve Academy (Ohio) standout small forward Anthony Thompson received an offer from Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis. Nearly four months later, UNC has secured a spot on his shortlist.
On Friday, Thompson revealed his top choices on social media, naming UNC along with BYU, Texas, Xavier, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Georgetown, Indiana, Auburn, Notre Dame, Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan.