Why are UNC and NC State men's basketball teams only playing each other once in 2025-26 regular season?
>> SO WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT?
>> NEXT BASKETBALL SEASON, UNC
AND NC STATE'S MEN'S TEAMS WILL
ONLY PLAY EACH OTHER ONCE IN
THE REGULAR SEASON. YOU KNOW,
2 GAMES WANT TO CHAPEL HILL.
ONE IN RALEIGH HAS BEEN A
TRADITION FOR OVER 100 YEARS
AND THAT ENDS NEXT SEASON.
THE REASON WHY HAS TO DO WITH
CONFERENCE ALIGNMENT. THE NCAA
TOURNAMENT AND OF COURSE, MONEY
TO MAKE IT ALL MAKE SENSE.
I SPOKE TO WRAL, INVESTIGATIVE
SPORTS REPORTER BRIAN MURPHY
AND TOOK A TRIP DUNHAM OR
STARVE.
AND BRADY STARTED TO GOODMAN.
SO WE GOT UNC AND NC STATE ARE
ONLY PLAYING ONCE.
>> IN THE UPCOMING MEN'S
BASKETBALL SEASON, CAN YOU TELL
US WHY AND WHY THAT
IS MEANINGFUL?
>> IN OTHER ONLY GOT TO PLAY
ONE TIME IN RALEIGH. NO RETURN
GAME TO CHAPEL HILL FOR THE
FIRST TIME SINCE 1919. I DON'T
THINK YOU CAN REMEMBER 1919,
PUT. NEITHER DID I. BUT THERE
WAS A GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND A
WORLD WAR HAPPENING AND THEY
ONLY PLAYED ONE TIME. THEY ALSO
PLAYED YMCA IS SO THAT GIVES
YOU A SENSE HOW LONG AGO THAT
WAS. AND THIS IS HAPPENING
BECAUSE THE ACC HAS DROPPED
FROM 20 CONFERENCE GAMES TO
18 CONFERENCE GAMES IN THE
HOPES OF BOLSTERING ITS PROFILE
AND GETTING MORE TEAMS IN THE
NCAA TUR. ANOTHER SEEMS TO BE A
REALLY DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT IS
A REALLY BIG DEAL.
>> TO THE LOCAL FAN BASE IS
HERE, BUT IT'S MAYBE SOMETHING
THAT SOME UNIVERSITIES ACROSS
THE COUNTRY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE
TO RELATE TO. BUT WHEN YOU HAVE
SUCH POWER HOUSES IN THIS SMALL
AREA TO BIG PART OF OUR CULTURE
AND WHERE YOU SEE THESE TEAMS
PLAY EACH OF THEM. WE'VE SEEN,
YOU KNOW, RIVALRY SORT OF TORN
ASUNDER ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS
CONFERENCES GET BIGGER AND
SCHOOLS LEAVE THEIR LONGTIME
HOME CONFERENCES. THOSE GAMES
HAVE GONE AWAY. BUT UNC NC
STATE ARE IN THE SAME
CONFERENCE. THEY'RE STILL IN
THE ACC AND THE THOUGHT OF THEM
NOT PLAYING A HOME AND HOME
ONE GAME IN CHAPEL HILL.
ONE GAME IN RALEIGH IS KIND
OF CRAZY. I THINK IF YOU ASKED
LOCAL FANS THEY'RE USED TO
PLAYING THIS GAME JUST AS MUCH
AS UNC IS USED TO PLAYING DUKE
TWICE.
>> IS, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT
SOME OF THIS COMES DOWN TO
MONEY, RIGHT? MAYBE A LOT OF IT
COMES DOWN TO MONEY. CAN YOU
TALK ABOUT THAT PART OF IT?
>> AS WELL AS THE BIG FEAR FROM
A LOT OF COLLEGE FANS THAT THAT
MONEY IS BECOMING THE DRIVING
FACTOR FOR WHAT HAPPENS DURING
THE SEASON AS OPPOSED TO SOME
OF THE CULTURAL THINK WE'VE
BECOME USED TO LIKE THESE
RIVALRIES. YOU ALMOST ALL OF IT
IS DRIVEN BY MONEY, RIGHT
CONFERENCE EXPANSION WAS DRIVEN
BY MONEY, MORE TELEVISION
VIEWERS, MORE INVENTORY THAT
YOU CAN SELL TO TV NETWORKS.
AND SO THEY SEE WHICH TEAMS
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP AND
BECAME 9 TEAMS IS NOW 18 TEAMS.
IT STRETCHES FROM COAST TO
COAST. IT IS NOT THE ACC THAT I
GREW UP WITH OR MANY OF OUR
VIEWERS GREW UP WITH AND WHAT
THEY GREW UP WITH WAS PLAYING.
YOU'RE RIGHT. YOU PROBABLY KNOW
A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WENT TO
NC STATE. IF YOU WANT THE UNC
OR VICE VERSA AND CONVERSE WITH
THEM, THAT MIGHT BE MEMBERS OF
YOUR FAMILY. YOU'RE USED TO
HAVING BRAGGING RIGHTS ABOUT.
>> WHO WON THIS GAME? ONE THAT
GAME. AND NELSON, YOU'RE ONLY
GONNA PLAY ONE TIME AND THAT SO
THAT NORTH CAROLINA CAN PLAY
SYRACUSE TWICE OR THEY CAN PLAY
A GAME AGAINST STANFORD OR CAL.
IT SEEMS KIND OF THE OPPOSITE
OF A COLLEGE SPORTS USED TO
BE AND THAT THE CAUSE WAS THAT
PEOPLE FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS
ISSUE IS LIKE A REAL FOR SOME
FANS. IS THAT IS THERE A BRIGHT
SIDE TO IT? IS THERE LIKE A
SILVER LINING? IS THERE
ANYTHING THOSE FANS WILL SEE IT
GO ALL AT LEAST WE GOT THIS,
YOU KNOW, SO MUCH OF THE FANDOM
IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS. I WAS HOW
MUCH MONEY. AND SO THE ACC WILL
IN THEORY SHOULD MAKE MORE
MONEY DOING THIS. THEY SHOULD
BE ABLE TO PUT MORE TEAMS IN
THE NCAA TOURNAMENT WHICH HAS
BEEN A BIG ISSUE FOR THE
LEAGUE. THE LEAGUE IS TO GET,
YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE MAJORITY
OF ITS OF ITS MEMBERS IN THE
IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT THIS
YEAR. THEY ONLY GOT 4 TEAMS IN
THE TOURNAMENT THERE. REMEMBER,
THERE ARE 18 TEAM LEAGUE, THE
SMALLEST PERCENTAGE EVER AND
THEY SEE THIS TRANSITION INTO
GAMES FROM CONFERENCE TO
CONFERENCE AS A WAY TO BOLSTER
THEIR RESUME COME MARCH WHEN
IT'S TIME FOR US LIKE THE SUN.
THE PROBLEM IS UNC, DUKE AND
EVEN NC STATE NOW UNDER WAY
EXPECTS TO HAVE BOTH EXPECT TO
BE ABLE TO PLAY THEIR RIVALS
AND MAKE THE TOURNAMENT NOT
HAVE TO GIVE UP ONE FOR THE
OTHER. SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD MOVE
FOR THE ACC. IT MAY BE
SOMETHING THAT FANS ARE GOING
TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH. YEAH.
AND THAT'S WHAT COLLEGE
ATHLETICS HAS BEEN FOR THE LAST
20 YEARS AND MAKING MOVES THAT
BENEFIT. THE CONFERENCE MAY BE
AT THE EXPENSE OF INDIVIDUAL
THING. ALL RIGHT. THANKS.
MER FACE THAT.