Reports of a 2025 Thanksgiving Day showdown between the UNC basketball program and the Michigan State Spartans first surfaced in early October. On Monday, the matchup became official via a press release.
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The Tar Heels and Spartans will meet in the first round of the 2025 Fort Myers Tip-Off as part of the four-team Beach Division. Their game will take place in Florida SouthWestern State’s Suncoast Credit Union Arena.
This time next year 🗓️
🔗: https://t.co/8oV7QJrkcB pic.twitter.com/FKTaoOTU82
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) November 21, 2024
As for UNC’s potential opponents in its second game at the event, that and the date of the championship round, which includes a third-place contest, “will be announced in the coming weeks.”
Although the press release did not confirm a tipoff time for the Thanksgiving Day matchup, CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander noted back in early October that the UNC-Michigan State clash “will air in the late afternoon on Fox after the Lions NFL game.”
It’ll mark the Tar Heels’ first appearance at the Fort Myers Tip-Off, which began in 2018.
UNC basketball boasts a 13-4 advantage in its all-time series against Michigan State, including an 85-69 win in the 2024 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in Charlotte, marking the 2023-24 Tar Heels’ last victory before falling to Alabama in the Sweet 16. The Tar Heels have emerged victorious in six of their past seven battles.
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Stay tuned to North Carolina Tar Heels On SI for more UNC basketball news.
