What UNC basketball vs NC State in Greensboro means to coaches Michael Malone, Justin Gainey

UNC and N.C. State will meet at Greensboro Coliseum for the first time in nearly 50 years, restarting a regular-season rivalry at First Horizon Coliseum on Dec. 15 in the “Tobacco Road Classic.” Coaches Michael Malone and Justin Gainey, both in their first year with their programs, will face off as the first matchup between first-year head coaches in the series since 1947. Malone said it’s new to him after 25 NBA seasons, while Gainey framed the trip as a return to home territory. The teams last played in Greensboro in the 1998 ACC Tournament, with the previous regular-season meeting dating back to 1979’s Big Four Tournament.