UNC’s Defining Test: Why the Tar Heels’ Clash with Ohio State Could Shape the 2025 Season
North Carolina basketball is stepping into the 2025-26 season with a mix of hope, hunger, and a little bit of uncertainty. A new roster, a tough schedule, and sky-high expectations are all swirling around Chapel Hill but one game, circled in red on the calendar, could tell the nation exactly who the Tar Heels are.
On December 20th, under the bright lights of State Farm Arena in Atlanta, UNC will square off with Ohio State as part of the CBS Sports Classic. And while it’s just one date in a grueling nonconference slate, college basketball insider Jeff Borzello has pegged it as the most important nonconference matchup for the Heels this fall.
It’s easy to see why. Eight of the Tar Heels’ top nine scorers from last season are gone, leaving junior guard Seth Trimble as the lone returning core piece. Trimble, once a role player, will now be asked to be a leader and a tone-setter. Around him is a cast of fresh faces: Caleb Wilson, the five-star freshman ranked among the top 10 in his class; 6’11” Henri Veesaar, whose length and touch could change the frontcourt dynamic; and Jarin Stevenson, the versatile big man ready to make his mark.
This is a group bursting with talent but still searching for chemistry. “North Carolina is going to be a work in progress to start the season,” Borzello noted. “Early-season games might not be a great gauge… a pre-Christmas tilt against a team just outside our top 25 will be a better test.”
And that’s what makes Ohio State such a dangerous opponent. The Buckeyes have quietly built a balanced roster and are itching to prove they belong in the national conversation. For UNC, this game isn’t just about earning a quality win — it’s about proving they can execute under pressure, away from home, against a top-tier challenger.
The road to Atlanta is anything but easy. Before Ohio State, UNC will have already clashed with college basketball royalty: Kansas on Nov. 7, Michigan State on Thanksgiving Day, Kentucky on Dec. 2, and a revived Georgetown program on Dec. 7. Those games, plus the season opener against Central Arkansas and exhibitions against BYU and Winston-Salem State, will give the new-look Heels plenty of trial runs.
But Dec. 20 feels different. It’s late enough in the calendar that the roster should have some identity but early enough to still reveal weaknesses before the grueling ACC schedule. Win, and UNC could ride a wave of momentum into conference play. Lose, and questions about experience and cohesion could grow louder.
And just two days later? The Tar Heels close nonconference play at home against East Carolina on Dec. 22, hopefully with a statement win already in their back pocket.
For now, all eyes in Chapel Hill will be on that pre-Christmas showdown in Atlanta. In a season built on change, this could be the moment UNC proves they’re still the Tar Heels everyone fears in March.
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