Men’s basketball coach C.B. McGrath told students at a Student Seahawk Club meeting last year to get ready for a strong non-conference schedule under his regime. McGrath has done just that, as UNC Wilmington announced on Tuesday that it has inked a two-for-one series with North Carolina.  

The two teams will first meet next season in Chapel Hill on Dec. 5, though a specific time for the game has yet to be designated. The Seahawks and Tar Heels will next meet on an undisclosed date in Trask Coliseum in 2019 before completing the series in the Dean E. Smith Center in 2020.  

The trip to Chapel Hill will be McGrath’s first official trip back to his former employer after leaving the reigning national champions to take the helm for the Seahawks. McGrath has a rich history with UNC coach Roy Williams, as he served under him in Chapel Hill from 2003-2017. 

McGrath was a part of three national championship Tar Heel teams in 2005, 2009 and his final year in 2017. McGrath and Williams’ relationship dates back as far as 1994, during McGrath’s playing time at Kansas. After playing four years under Williams, he became an assistant under him after his graduation before following him to Chapel Hill. 

For the Tar Heels, this is their second consecutive year with an agreement to a two-for-one series. Last year’s deal was made with Wofford, who defeated the fifth-ranked Tar Heels in Chapel Hill on Dec. 21, 79-75.  

For UNCW, the deal comes just two weeks after the team announced a meeting with the Stanford Cardinal in Trask Coliseum set for Nov. 9. McGrath is sticking to his word, as the Seahawks now have deals in place to play two “power five” conference schools next season