Note: This was reported on our site in the spring, but was formalized Monday with this announcement.

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CHAPEL HILL – The University of North Carolina and University of Connecticut will play December 5 in Madison Square Garden New York City in the second game of the 2023 Jimmy V Classic in a matchup of programs that have combined to win 11 NCAA championships, including nine in the last 30 years.

The game will mark the second straight season the Tar Heels will play in the Garden. Last year, Carolina defeated Ohio State in overtime in the CBS Sports Classic.

“It’s a great opportunity to play the defending national champions and return to Madison Square Garden, a special place that has meant a lot to me,” says third-year UNC head coach Hubert Davis, who was a first-round pick by the New York Knicks in 1992 and played four seasons with the Knicks.

“Carolina fans were amazing when we played in the Garden against Ohio State, so we know the atmosphere will be something special. It’s also a blessing and honor to play in this year’s Jimmy V Classic as Coach Valvano is being inducted in the Hall of Fame this year. It should be a great night to celebrate Coach Valvano and college basketball.”

The Carolina-UConn game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Florida Atlantic and Illinois will play in the other game of the doubleheader.

This is the Tar Heels’ third appearance in the Jimmy V Classic, which honors the former NC State coach who died of cancer 30 years ago. UNC beat Massachusetts, 83-69, in the 1996-97 season, and lost to Indiana, 82-73, in 1999-2000. Both of those games were played in the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Tar Heels and Huskies will be playing for the seventh time and first time since the 2004-05 season, when UNC beat UConn in Hartford. The Tar Heels have won five of the first six games against the Huskies.

UConn won the national championship in 2023. It will be UNC’s first game against a defending champion since beating Baylor in overtime in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Carolina is 30-11 in Madison Square Garden and 44-25 all-time in New York City. A pair of Tar Heels – senior R.J. Davis (White Plains, N.Y.) and graduate transfer Cormac Ryan (New York City) hail from New York.

The Jimmy V Classic, named for Jim Valvano, annually raises money and awareness for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The men’s classic began in 1995 and is in its 29th year – 20th at Madison Square Garden. The women’s event debuted in 2002. Both events are part of ESPN’s V Week initiative, which utilizes platforms to talk to sports fans about the importance of cancer research. To date, ESPN has helped raise nearly $200 million dollars for the V Foundation. In 2022, V Week helped raise a record breaking $14.4 million dollars which was a 32% increase over 2020 fundraising.

Tickets for the men’s doubleheader will go on sale this fall. First priority and access to the best seats will be offered to fans who sign up for the pre-sale through jimmyvclassic.com.