Michigan State basketball and North Carolina will square off next Thanksgiving Day as part of the 2025 Fort Myers Tip-Off, tournament organizers have announced. The matchup features two of men’s college basketball’s most iconic programs.
The Spartans and Tar Heels anchor the 2025 Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division, which will take place Thanksgiving Week at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College. The remaining two teams, as well as final game dates and matchups, will be announced in the coming weeks.
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The Spartans and Tar Heels have played 17 times, including most recently in the NCAA Tournament this past March. The last regular season meeting between the two programs was on Nov. 26, 2017, a game won by the Spartans. Overall, North Carolina owns a 13-4 advantage in the series.
North Carolina and Michigan State represent two of the most historically successful programs in college basketball. All-time, North Carolina has won six NCAA Tournament championships (third-most in NCAA history), owns 18 ACC Tournament titles and 33 ACC regular-season crowns. Additionally, the Tar Heels boast 21 Final Four appearances (most in NCAA history) and 53 all-time NCAA Tournament berths (second-most).
Michigan State has 37 NCAA Tournament appearances (10th most), including 10 Final Four appearances (sixth-most) and a pair of national championships. The Spartans also won a combined 22 Big Ten Championships, 16 regular-season titles, and six tournament crowns.
The Fort Myers Tip-Off, launched in 2018, has been bringing notable Division I programs like Gonzaga, Kansas, Auburn, Florida, Ohio State, Marquette, Wisconsin, and Virginia to Fort Myers. This year’s field includes Michigan, West Virginia, South Carolina, and Xavier.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball vs North Carolina on Thanksgiving Day 2025
