Get your popcorn out and make your hot chocolate. On Monday night, your North Carolina Tar Heels play a basketball game.
UNC welcomes Central Arkansas, a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, to the Dean Dome for a 7 p.m. tip-off on November 3. North Carolina re-tooled its roster this offseason, adding increased positional size and plentiful talent, while the visiting Bears are hoping to surpass their 9-win mark from a season ago.
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The Tar Heels snuck into March’s NCAA Tournament, quickly proving they belonged with a 95-68 domination of San Diego State. UNC’s recurring issues crept up in their Round of 64 matchup against Ole Miss, digging themselves a big hole before a near-historic comeback.
Central Arkansas is fairly new to Division I basketball, making the transition in 2006. The Bears last made a postseason tournament in 2018, going 1-1 in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
Monday night is the perfect time for Hubert Davis to experiment with his lineups. Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar will start down low, while Seth Trimble and Kyan Evans will take both backcourt spots. North Carolina’s big question mark is at small forward: Luka Bogavac is supposed to be the starter, but Alabama transfer and Chapel Hill native Jarin Stevenson is currently holding that spot down.
If you’re close to Chapel Hill, see if you can get a ticket to watch the Tar Heels’ home opener. Monday is a game they should win easily, but the Bears will look to stage a massive upset.
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Keep reading below for our game preview, which includes UNC’s key to victory, something to watch, odds, statistical leaders and a season schedule.
Key to Victory
Oct 4, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Kyan Evans (0) with the ball as guard Seth Trimble (7) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Backcourt production. Davis is counting on Trimble to carry a major workload, while Evans will be the facilitator at point guard.
The Tar Heels are fairly young behind Trimble and Evans, carrying freshman Isaiah Denis and Derek Dixon, junior Jaydon Young and sophomore guard/forward Jonathan Powell. Davis likely experiments with this rotation on Monday night – and whoever plays well, stays in the game and earns more minutes against Kansas.
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Something to watch
Oct 4, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Luka Bogavac (44) with the ball as guard Jaydon Young (4) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
If Luka Bogavac plays. The NCAA cleared Bogavac, a 22-year-old international wing with four seasons of professional basketball experience overseas, after initial issues.
Bogavac didn’t play in either of UNC’s preseason games, with Stevenson landing a pair of starts instead. Stevenson started most of his 2024-25 campaign in Tuscaloosa – and provides more height in the lineup.
If Bogavac plays Monday night, though, expect plenty of minutes.
What you need to know
TarHeelsWire How to Watch
WHAT? North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Central Arkansas Bears
WHEN? Monday, November 3 at 7 p.m. ET
WHERE? Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
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TV? ACC Network
RADIO? SiriusXM (Channel 193)
WEATHER? 52 degrees, clear
LINE? N/A
LAST MEETING? First Meeting
PREDICTION? UNC 95, Central Arkansas 72
UNC Basketball 2025-26 schedule
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – OCTOBER 24: Head coach Hubert Davis of the North Carolina Tar Heels calls a play during the first half of their exhibition game against the Brigham Young Cougars at the Delta Center on October 24, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
October 4: Blue-White Scrimmage (White 55, Blue 50)
Oct. 24: at BYU (preseason, L 78-76)
Oct. 29: vs. Winston-Salem tate (preseason, W 95-53)
Nov. 3: vs. Central Arkansas (7 p.m.)
Nov. 7: vs. Kansas (7 p.m.)
Nov. 11: vs. Radford (7 p.m.)
Nov. 14: vs. NC Central (9 p.m.)
Nov. 18: vs. Navy (7 p.m.)
Nov. 25: vs. St. Bonaventure in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (6 p.m.)
Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (4:30 p.m.)
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December 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.)
January 3, 2026: at SMU (2:15 p.m.)
Jan. 10, 2026: vs. Wake Forest (6 p.m.)
Jan. 14, 2026: at Stanford (9 p.m.)
Jan. 17, 2026: at California (4 p.m.)
Jan. 21, 2026: vs. Notre Dame (7 p.m.)
Jan. 24, 2026: at Virginia (TBA)
Jan. 31, 2026: at Georgia Tech (2 p.m.)
Feb. 2, 2026: vs. Syracuse (7 p.m.)
Feb. 7, 2026: vs. Duke (6:30 p.m.)
Feb. 10, 2026: at Miami (FL) (7 p.m.)
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Feb. 14, 2026: vs. Pitt (2 p.m.)
Feb. 17, 2026: at NC State (7 p.m.)
Feb. 21, 2026: at Syracuse (1 p.m.)
Feb. 23, 2026: vs. Louisville (7 p.m.)
Feb. 28, 2026: vs. Virginia Tech (TBA)
March 3, 2026: vs. Clemson (7 p.m.)
March 7, 2026: at Duke (6:30 p.m.)
March 10-14, 2026: ACC Tournament in Spectrum Center (Charlotte, N.C.)
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC-Central Arkansas basketball: Game preview, info, prediction, etc.
