What better Christmas present could there be than the Kentucky Wildcats taking down the North Carolina Tar Heels in the CBS Sports Classic? Well, that’s what fans will be hoping for as the Cats and Heels will take to the hardwood on December 19, 2026, a game that is set for tip at 2:30 p.m. ET, if you want to go ahead and set the calendar.
Ohio State and Kansas are the two other participating teams, so expect to see those squads take to the court on the same day. The Jayhawks will have the No. 1 overall recruit, Tyran Stokes, who came down to either Kansas or Kentucky.
The Cats still have a good bit of unknown regarding their roster. The biggest question mark is Malachi Moreno, and fans will know in the coming days if he’s planning to return to college or not. On top of that, Mark Pope and company should have the budget to bring in a star forward, if they’re able to find one.
Kentucky and UNC in the Garden in New York on December 19 pic.twitter.com/eqwdJbudv4
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) May 21, 2026
The Cats and Heels have a pretty even history, having played 22 times. Kentucky has come out on top 12 of those times. These teams played last season, with the Heels winning 67-64. The series, in the last six games, has been split 3-3, so it has certainly been a neck-and-neck last decade for these programs.
The Heels, who also have a strong NIL budget and a great brand, didn’t have a terrific recruiting journey either, having just one top-50 recruit, No. 30 Maximo Adams, a four-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon. They will also be under Michael Malone for his first season as a head coach at the collegiate level.
Pope against Malone will certainly be a coaching matchup that fans will want to keep an eye on.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky and UNC set for an iconic Christmas-time showdown