CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) – An upcoming preseason men’s basketball matchup between North Carolina and Brigham Young is slated to pit two of the nation’s most highly anticipated freshman stars against each other.
UNC will travel to Utah on Oct. 24 to square off with BYU in an exhibition game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, the school announced Tuesday.
This marks the first of two preseason games for the Tar Heels, which also hosts Winston-Salem State in the Dean E. Smith Center on Oct. 29.
In a matchup between two of the top players in the 2025 recruiting class, BYU small forward A.J. Dybantsa and UNC power forward Caleb Wilson will play on the same court for the first time since each participated in the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic back in April.
Dybantsa enters the college basketball landscape as the country’s top-ranked prospect, while Wilson was rated among the five best players nationwide, according to the ESPN recruiting rankings.
Arriving in Chapel Hill as one of the most celebrated North Carolina freshmen in recent memory, Wilson picked the Tar Heels over Kentucky and Ohio State, which rounded out the final three schools on his list.
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Atlanta, Ga., announced his choice to attend UNC on the “NBA on TNT” set with Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, a former Tar Heels’ standout who earned first-team All-American honors as a senior in 1987.
“I just looked at who the coach was, I was able to build a good relationship with him, looking at the roster and also just seeing how much the coach believed in me over the time he knew me,” Wilson said on “Inside the NBA” early Friday morning. “I’ll be taking my talents to Chapel Hill.”
He’s the fourth five-star prospect to sign with UNC since Hubert Davis took over as head coach in 2021.
“I picked North Carolina because of their culture and the history of the program,” Wilson later told ESPN. “They were my first blue blood [offer]. Last year, I went to the Duke at UNC game. I was courtside and it was a great experience. It was everything I was looking for in a program.”
“I love the passion and energy of coach Hubert Davis,” he added. “I know he will push me to be my best and love me at the same time. He is a truth-teller, and that’s what I want. We have watched film together. He tells me where I can be better. He is a man of faith, and we have a great connection. He plays his freshmen, too. I plan to help UNC win and win big. Then hopefully I can have a chance to be a one-and-done.”
Dybantsa also considered UNC as his eventual college destination, but ultimately selected BYU over the Tar Heels.
The last time that UNC played in Salt Lake City was the 1988 NCAA Tournament when the Tar Heels defeated North Texas and Loyola Marymount to advance to the Sweet 16 round.
UNC opens regular-season play with two games on its home floor as Hubert Davis and his team host Central Arkansas (Nov. 3) and Kansas (Nov. 7) in the first week of the 2025-26 campaign.