COLUMBUS, OH – It may not have been by design, but Sterling Manley is getting his home game after all.

North Carolina has long had a tradition in which the Tar Heels usually play homes games near where each player is from at least once during their careers.

It was a tradition started by Dean Smith and often upheld by Roy Williams, though with increased ACC schedules to where it was 18 games this season and moves to 20 next year, opportunities to play enough road games aren’t as great, making it more difficult to keep the practice alive.

So, when the NCAA unveiled the 68-team field for this year’s tournament, Manley was a bit more excited about the prospect of the Tar Heels heading to Columbus than his teammates. This is home, or at least it’s not too far from Pickerington, OH. In fact, Manley’s hometown rests in the Columbus suburbs, just 17 miles from downtown.

“They said ‘North Carolina’ and we all said “Yeaahhh, lets get it, lets go,’” Manley said, Thursday at Nationwide Arena. “Then when they showed the bracket Columbus was the first spot, and I was like and we got hype and Coach (Williams) was like, ‘Go home, big fella, go home.’”

Manley was an important part of North Carolina’s rotation through the first 12 games of the season, playing double-figure minutes in eight games, including 13 versus Davidson on Dec. 29. That was the last time the 7-foot sophomore got onto the court until he played a single minute in a win at Clemson three weeks ago.

He also played two minutes at Boston College a few nights later and then two minutes in UNC’s 83-70 victory over Louisville in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night. He scored his only field goal of the 2019 calendar year last week in Charlotte.

The season has been a struggle for Manley, who is averaging 3.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest, so getting to play close to home in the big dance is a nice little cherry on top.

“No doubt,” he said. “Just being able to be back home to play in front of my family and friends. I understand it’s a joy but at the same time we’ve go to come out ready to play.”

Schedules are tight for teams at the NCAA Tournament, so what are Manley’s plans about possibly getting some time with family and friends?

“A little bit depending on our schedule,” he said, referring to Thursday night. “We’ll go back to the hotel and have dinner, but maybe after that I’ll go home for a little bit and come back. (But) I’m all here for business.”

Friday night’s game for the top-seeded Tar Heels versus No., 16 Iona will tip at 9:20 pm and it will be the first time Manley has played in this arena, though it’s not his first time in here.

“I’ve been to the building a couple of times, Bluejackets,” he said, noting the local NHL team. “I don’t really watch hockey but I always root for the hometown team.”

Manley will have some people rooting for him in the stands this weekend, an experience he will clearly cherish.