For the first time since 2010, North Carolina will play a game in Carmichael Arena on UNC's campus. On Thursday afternoon the Tar Heel basketball program announced that UNC will host Wofford on Dec. 15 in Carmichael Arena.

The Tar Heels defeated Wofford 78-67 in Spartanburg, S.C. in the season opener last season.

The game is being played in Carmichael because the Dean E. Smith Center will be hosting December Commencement that day.

“Due to Wofford’s playing schedule and Carolina’s travel schedule to Gonzaga, it was necessary to play the game on the 15th, but of course we knew that is the date of Commencement,” Senior Associate Director of Athletics Clint Gwaltney said in a release. “We appreciate both Coach (Roy) Williams’ and Wofford’s flexibility in agreeing to move the game to another venue. It should be an outstanding environment in which to play that game.”

The Tar Heels will be departing for Spokane, Wash., on Monday, Dec. 16, in preparation for their game at Gonzaga on Dec. 18.

“Carmichael brings back great memories of my first eight years as an assistant to Coach Smith and the exciting game we played against William and Mary in 2010,” UNC head coach Roy Williams said. “Wofford will bring an outstanding team and the environment will be electric. I’m sure it will be a tough ticket to get and a special day for everyone who is lucky enough to be there for that game.”

Because of renovations to the Smith Center, North Carolina last played in Carmichael on March 16, 2010 in an NIT matchup with William & Mary, an eventual 80-72 win for the Tar Heels. Coincidentally, William & Mary was the first-ever opponent for the men's basketball team in Carmichael Arena in 1965.

Carmichael Arena was North Carolina's home arena from 1965 to 1986. It currently is the home to UNC women's basketball, women's volleyball, women's gymnastics, and wrestling.

The arena opened in 1965 as Carmichael Auditorium and is named for William Donald Carmichael, Jr., a popular former school vice-president and brother of All-America basketball player Cartwright Carmichael. It originally seated just over 8,000 people, but expansions over the years brought its final capacity to 10,180 by the time the men left for the Dean Smith Center in 1986.

After a remodeling project completed in 2009, capacity is now Capacity is 6,822

The Tar Heels have played 190 games in Carmichael, going 169-20 from Dec. 4, 1965, to Jan. 4, 1986, plus the win over William and Mary in 2010.

The last regular-season men’s game in Carmichael (then known as Carmichael Auditorium) was a 90-79 victory over NC State on Jan. 4, 1986.

Carmichael was known as one of the loudest arenas in the country while the Tar Heel men played there, largely because of a low roof and a student section that ringed the court. In part due to this formidable home-court advantage, the men had a record of 169-20 (.894) in just over 20 seasons there. Dean Smith was the Tar Heels's coach for their entire tenure in Carmichael.

A new floor was installed in 1998, after a roof fire that occurred in February during renovations. The arena was completely remodeled beginning in spring 2008, and the women's team joined the men in the Dean Smith Center until completion in December 2009. The facility was officially renamed Carmichael Arena during the women's team's matchup against rival Duke on February 28, 2010.

The matchup with Wofford in Carmichael Arena is part of North Carolina's challenging non-conference schedule that includes games against Gardner-Webb, at UNC Wilmington, Elon, Ohio State, at Gonzaga, and Yale. The Tar Heels will also play in the Battle for Atlantis Tournament over Thanksgiving weekend and face off against UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas on Dec. 21.

The Tar Heels lost four of five starters and its five top scorers from the 2018-19 team. They return starting forward Garrison Brooks and reserves Brandon Robinson, Leaky Black, Andrew Platek, and Sterling Manley. UNC adds six new players to its roster including five-star freshmen Cole Anthony and Armando Bacot, four-star Anthony Harris, and three-star Jeremiah Francis, along with graduate transfers Christian Keeling and Justin Pierce.

North Carolina opens its 2019-20 campaign at home on Wed. Nov. 6 vs. ACC for Notre Dame

2019-20 - Non-Conference Games

Nov. 1 - Exhibition: Winston-Salem State - Chapel Hill, N.C.

Nov. 8 - at UNCW - Wilmington, N.C.

Nov. 15 - Gardner-Webb - Chapel Hill

Nov. 20 - Elon - Chapel Hill

Nov. 27-29 Battle 4 Atlantis - Paradise Island, Bahamas

(Oregon, Alabama, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Michigan, Seton Hall, Southern Miss.),

Dec. 4 - Ohio State (ACC-Big Ten Challenge) - Chapel Hill

Dec. 15 - Wofford - Chapel Hill

Dec. 18 - at Gonzaga - Spokane, Wash.

Dec. 21 - vs. UCLA (CBS Sports Classic) - Las Vegas, Nev.

Dec. 30 - Yale - Chapel Hill

2019-20 Conference Games

ACC Home: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, Notre Dame (Nov. 6), Pittsburgh, Virginia, Wake Forest

ACC Away: Duke, Florida State, Louisville, N.C. State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest