The West Virginia Mountaineers are putting together their non-conference schedule for their second season under Ross Hodge, and it appears a neutral-site clash with a blue blood program in on the horizon – and it's a team that WVU fans might still be harboring a bit of ill will against.
The news came Thursday that the Mountaineers are set to participate in the second annual Dick Vitale Invitational this year. WVU is set to clash with the North Carolina Tar Heels in a premier non-conference showdown, which will take place at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Friday, November 27.
NEWS: North Carolina and West Virginia are finalizing an agreement to meet in the 2nd Annual Dick Vitale Invitational at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, per multiple sources.
— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) May 14, 2026
The date is set for Friday, November 27th. #ACC #Big12 pic.twitter.com/1fKSKDiSzP
West Virginia Mountaineers set to clash with UNC Tar Heels for first time since 2024 NCAA Tournament controversy
West Virginia fans will be looking forward to a potential revenge game, with a grudge stemming from the 2024 NCAA Tournament selection process. The Mountaineers were assumed to be a lock for the tournament after finishing 19-13, with bracketologists unanimously projecting WVU in the field.
But when the brackets were revealed, the Mountaineers were shockingly left on the outside looking in, while UNC – who was widely viewed as a team that would miss the 68-team field – suddenly found themselves going dancing.
Adding to the insult was the fact that UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham was serving as the chair of the selection committee that season, and his contract included a provision where he earned a significant bonus for each UNC program, including men's basketball, that made the NCAA Tournament in their sport.
It's a snub that most West Virginia fans still aren't over, and that they would be ecstatic to see avenged by handing the blue blood Tar Heels a loss in their own backyard. Even though the staffs and rosters look much different now than they did during the 2024-2025 season, it would still be cathartic to see UNC go down at the hands of the old-gold-and-blue.
And the feud between the two programs have expanded beyond mens basketball in recent years, with the Tar Heels handing the Mountaineers a loss in the second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament to close the 2024-2025 season, and UNC's baseball team eliminating WVU from the NCAA Super Regionals in 2024.
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