It took them a little bit to get going, but the North Carolina Tar Heels won Tuesday night, starting their basketball season 3-0.
UNC, trailing at one point midway through the first half, pulled away from Radford for an 89-74 victory. North Carolina (3-0) played its first game without Seth Trimble, who’ll be out until January with a broken bone in his left forearm, but several players stepped up to fill Trimble’s void.
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Next up for the Tar Heels is a late, 9 p.m. Friday night clash with North Carolina Central, which plays just up the road in Durham. UNC plays late due to the ACC Network’s schedule, which has Duke-Indiana State at 7 p.m.
NCCU (0-3) is building quite the non-conference resume, losing its first three games at NC State, Virginia and App State by an average of 30 points. The Eagles made three straight NCAA Tournaments from 2017-2019, but hasn’t played postseason basketball since.
Friday night is a great opportunity for Hubert Davis to empty the Tar Heels’ bench again. North Carolina can see more minutes from the likes of Jaydon Young, Isaiah Denis, James Brown, Ivan Matlekovic and others who played sparingly in Games 1-3.
Friday night is also a great opportunity for UNC to secure another dominant win. Caleb Wilson should, once again, be a focal point. The Tar Heels need to find a perimeter shooting stroke, something they can get a head-start on in the first half.
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If you’re going to the Dean Dome, have fun and rep the baby blue. If you’re watching on TV, your favorite streaming device, listening on the radio or somewhere else, keep reading below for more broadcast information.
Stream UNC vs. North Carolina Central
What channel is UNC vs. NC Central on Friday? Time, TV schedule, radio
TV Channel: ACC Network
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Radio: SiriusXM (Channel 193)
Website: WatchESPN
Where to watch UNC vs. NC Central on live stream
UNC vs. NCCU prediction, picks, odds
North Carolina faces an NC Central team it should beat by 30+ points, but that’s never a gimme. Radford gave the Tar Heels trouble early Tuesday night, before the latter pulled away for a comfortable win.
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Five players score 10 points for UNC, which reaches the 100-point biscuit mark and sends fans in attendance home happy. North Carolina starts to fix its perimeter shooting woes, showcasing how dangerous a team it can be.
Score prediction: UNC 102, NCCU 68
Full UNC basketball schedule
Oct. 4: Blue-White Scrimmage (White 55, Blue 50)
Oct. 24: at BYU (preseason, L 78-76)
Oct. 29: vs. Winston-Salem State (preseason, W 95-53)
Nov. 3: vs. Central Arkansas (W, 94-54)
Nov. 7: vs. Kansas (W, 87-74)
Nov. 11: vs. Radford (W, 89-74)
Nov. 14: vs. NC Central (9 p.m.)
Nov. 18: vs. Navy (7 p.m.)
Nov. 25: vs. St. Bonaventure in Fort Myers (Florida) Tip-Off (6 p.m.)
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Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (4:30 p.m.)
Dec. 2: at Kentucky (9:30 p.m.)
Dec. 7: vs. Georgetown (5 p.m.)
Dec. 13: vs. USC Upstate (2 p.m.)
Dec. 16: vs. ETSU (8 p.m.)
Dec. 20: vs. Ohio State in CBS Sports Classic (3 p.m. in Atlanta, Ga.)
Dec. 22: vs. East Carolina (8 p.m.)
Dec. 30: vs. Florida State (2:15 p.m.)
Jan. 3, 2026: at SMU (2:15 p.m.)
Jan. 10: vs. Wake Forest (6 p.m.)
Jan. 14: at Stanford (9 p.m.)
Jan. 17: at California (4 p.m.)
Jan. 21: vs. Notre Dame (7 p.m.)
Jan. 24: at Virginia (TBA)
Jan. 31: at Georgia Tech (2 p.m.)
Feb. 2: vs. Syracuse (7 p.m.)
Feb. 7: vs. Duke (6:30 p.m.)
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Feb. 10: at Miami (Florida) (7 p.m.)
Feb. 14: vs. Pitt (2 p.m.)
Feb. 17: at NC State (7 p.m.)
Feb. 21: at Syracuse (1 p.m.)
Feb. 23: vs. Louisville (7 p.m.)
Feb. 28: vs. Virginia Tech (TBA)
March 3: vs. Clemson (7 p.m.)
March 7, 2026: at Duke (6:30 p.m.)
March 10-14: ACC Tournament in Spectrum Center (Charlotte, N.C.)
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Channel, time, streaming information, odds vs. NCCU