LAWRENCE, Kan. — The North Carolina men’s basketball team faces its first true test of the season Friday night as it travels to Allen Fieldhouse to take on top-ranked Kansas.
The Tar Heels are 1-4 all-time against the Jayhawks, their lone win coming on Nov. 27, 2002. The last time these two teams played was the 2022 national championship game when Kansas came from behind to defeat UNC 72-69.
North Carolina and Kansas will always be linked when it comes to basketball. Legendary UNC head coach Dean Smith played for the Jayhawks from 1949-53 before becoming an assistant coach for the team from 1953-55. Roy Williams — who coached the Tar Heels to three national championship wins in 2005, 2009 and 2017 — also served as the head coach of Kansas from 1988-2003.
Curious how Friday night’s game will turn out? Here’s a breakdown of what to expect from both teams.
No. 9 North Carolina (1-0)
The Tar Heels opened the 2024-25 season Monday with a win over Elon, but this matchup with Kansas should show whether or not UNC is ready to compete with the country’s top contenders.
North Carolina is led by senior guard R.J. Davis, who averaged 21.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game last season while earning first-team All-American honors. In the win over Elon, Davis chipped in 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
What will be telling for the Tar Heels is how the players around Davis contribute. Sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau played well against the Phoenix, but it remains to be seen if he can consistently knock down 3-pointers. Another question mark for UNC is the strength of its frontcourt without Armando Bacot. Jae’Lyn Withers and Jalen Washington started at the 4 and 5, respectively, for UNC on Monday, combining for 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting.
Last year, North Carolina ranked No. 12 in the country in total rebound rate (54.9%). Monday, the Tar Heels barely edged Elon in total rebounds (43-40).
The wild card for UNC is how their freshmen handle the first road test of their college careers. Both Ian Jackson and Drake Powell made their Tar Heel debuts against Elon, but they only managed 10 combined points on 4-of-15 shooting.
No. 1 Kansas (1-0)
Ranked as the top team in the county, Kansas opened its year with an 87-57 win over Howard on Monday. The Jayhawks are considered one of the top teams in all of college basketball this season.
The Jayhawks are built around their senior center Hunter Dickinson, a 7-foot-2 behemoth who averaged 17.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game last season. If Dickinson is able to do whatever he wants on the inside, it will be a long night for the Tar Heels.
Also contributing for the Jayhawks this season is senior Zeke Mayo, who has a team-high 19 points in the win over Howard and averaged 18.8 points per game in 2023-24 while shooting 39.1% from 3-point range.
Mayo, a Lawrence, Kansas native, transferred to the Jayhawks this offseason after spending the previous three years with South Dakota State. He was named the 2023-24 Summit League Player of the Year after leading the conference in 3-pointers made per game (2.6).
Kansas’ top freshman this season is center Flory Bidunga, who was ranked as the No. 14 player in the Class of 2024 by 247Sports’ composite rankings. Bidunga totaled 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the Jayhawks’ win over Howard.
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