Exciting games usually happen with Kentucky, North Carolina
Aug. 10—The basketball meeting between the University of Kentucky and North Carolina on Dec. 16 in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta caused some early excitement this week.
That announcement dropped Tuesday and immediately sent up signals that it would be a major matchup with a great atmosphere because of the proximity of the fan bases, and their willingness to travel to Atlanta. The game will be at State Farm Arena, home for the Atlanta Hawks, and is scheduled to tipoff at 4:30 p.m. CT.
The "big game" aspect has usually been the history of this rivalry.
When North Carolina and Kentucky basketball meet up, games have been marquee events and often in NCAA tournaments with a Final Four berth on the line. NC holds overall lead in series (25-17), but UK is 7-4 against NC since John Calipari took over in Lexington in 2009.
There have been some epic matchups, just in the last 30 years alone.
In December, 2016, Malik Monk put together one of the best individual performances by a Kentucky player in two decades. The hot shooting Monk dropped 47 points in a 103-100 Kentucky win over North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas. That point total is fifth-best all-time for points in a single game.
The NCAA scheduling gods set up a scenario where UK and North Carolina could meet in the Elite Eight in Memphis in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Of course, both teams advanced to the regional final with NC the 1 seed and UK at No. 2.
North Carolina was favored in the game, took control with 12 straight points in the last five minutes, but big shots late by De'Aaron Fox and Monk tied the game at 73 with seven seconds left.
Luke Maye drained a long 2-pointer with 0.3 seconds on the clock for a 75-73 win and an all-time dagger to Kentucky basketball.
Another impressive Kentucky win over North Carolina was also in Vegas in December of 2021. The Wildcats gave an early indication of what they could become that 21-22 season with a 98-69 beat down of North Carolina. The Tar Heels didn't look like a contender for the ACC championship, much less the NCAA championship, but that loss turned into a huge catalyst for them.
The Heels rallied from that loss to finish the regular season 23-8, go 1-1 in the ACC Tournament, and enter the NCAA Tournament as an 8 seed.
During that same winter, Kentucky mostly rolled through its schedule, hammering Tennessee 107-79 at Rupp Arena, and going on the road for an impressive 80-62 triumph at Kansas in late January.
That would be the high mark for the Wildcats, who were 28-7 when they took a No. 2 seed into the NCAA Tournament to face a 15 seed called Saint Peter's in Indianapolis.
Saint Pete's turned in a massive 85-79 upset of the Wildcats, and went on a run of its own to the Elite Eight. North Carolina knocked out Saint Peter's 69-49.
A memorable heartbreak from the way back time machine was delivered by North Carolina in the 1995 NCAA Tournament. Rick Pitino and Dean Smith were on the sidelines. Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse were with NC. Rodrick Rhodes, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty, Jeff Sheppard were among the UK guys on the floor in Birmingham, Ala., for another Elite Eight game in the Southeast Region.
NC just had too much for Kentucky in a loss that was bitter for Pitino, which made it more bitter for the UK team, and was a major spark for what would happen in 1996.
That loss on that sad Saturday night in late March was a significant driver for the 1996 UK national championship, ending what was an 18-year drought in Lexington.
