Pirates Wrap Up Non-Conference Play At No. 12 North Carolina On Monday Night

Game 13: East Carolina (5-7) at No. 12 North Carolina (11-1)
Date \| Time	December 22, 2025 \| 8 p.m. ET
Location	Chapel Hill, N.C. \| Dean E. Smith Center
Game Program	Digital Game Program #2
Coverage	Stream: ACC Network Radio: 107.9WNCT Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Statistics	East Carolina \| North Carolina \| The American
Game Notes	East Carolina \| North Carolina \| The American
Social Media	Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram \| YouTube

Chapel Hill, N.C. – East Carolina wraps up non-conference play before the holiday break with a trip to Chapel Hill to face No. 12 North Carolina for the first time since the 2014-15 season on Monday night inside the Dean E. Smith Center.

Tipoff is slated for an 8 p.m. ET start and the contest will be televised on the ACC Network with Doug Sherman (play-by-play) and Terrence Oglesby (analyst) on the call. Pirate fans can also tune in to 107.9 WNCT FM, 94.3 The Game or download the IBX app to hear Daron Vaught call the action.

Jordan Riley currently averages 21.7 points per game to lead the Pirates and the American while adding 5.4 rebounds and two steals per night. Giovanni Emejuru controls the paint for the Pirates, with a near double-double of 13.6 points and 9.2 rebounds (3rd in American) per game while Tybo Bailey adds 9.1 points per contest.

ECU is 3-84 all-time against AP Top 25 teams after falling to then-No. 11 Michigan State, 89-56, at the Fort Myers Tip-Off earlier this season. ECU is 0-58 all-time against AP Top 25 teams on the road. The Pirates came close last season to getting their first ranked road win over No. 19 Memphis, falling 74-70.

Last Time Out
Jordan Riley scored a game-high 24 points as East Carolina defeated Presbyterian in wire-to-wire fashion, 74-53, on Wednesday evening inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

Scouting the Tar Heels
North Carolina comes into Monday night having won its last five games, including a 71-70 thriller over Ohio State on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic. The Tar Heels have four players that average double figures in scoring, led by Caleb Wilson's 19.5 points per game and followed by Henri Veesaar (16.9 ppg), Seth Trimble (15.3 ppg) and Luka Bogavac (10.8 ppg). Per KenPom, UNC is fifth in effective field goal percentage defense at 42.3 and the Heels have scored at least 80 points in seven of their 12 games played.

Series History
North Carolina leads the all-time series with East Carolina 4-0 as Monday's meeting will be the first game between the two programs since Dec. 7, 2014, when UNC defeated ECU, 108-64, in the Smith Center. This will be the third time that the Pirates have played in the Smith Center (0-2 in previous trips).

On This Date
ECU is 10-9 in games played on Dec. 22 with the last game on this date coming during the 2020-21 season when the Pirates defeated Tulane at home, 68-58. The Pirates have won their last five games played on Dec. 22.

Up Next
East Carolina begins American Conference play on New Year's Eve at home against Tulane at noon on ESPNU.

Pirates Wrap Up Non-Conference Play At No. 12 North Carolina On Monday Night

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Players Mentioned

Tybo Bailey

Giovanni Emejuru

Jordan Riley

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