It's been known that the University of North Carolina is looking at possible options for either a new basketball arena or renovation opportunities for the Dean Smith Center, the current home of the UNC basketball program.
On Thursday, Greg Barnes of Inside Carolina reported that UNC leadership is eying an area off-campus for the location of the new arena.
SOURCES: UNC leadership eying off-campus Carolina North location for new basketball arena. Reporting by @GSBarnes23: https://t.co/OjLkbOqjsF pic.twitter.com/NmDH4BiCOg
— InsideCarolina (@InsideCarolina) February 13, 2025
Carolina North, as the area is called, is located at the northwest corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Estes Drive in Chapel Hill. It is the old home of the Horace Williams Airport, one that was closed back in May of 2018.
Now, we encourage you to read the Inside Carolina story on the matter, as they provide all the good details revolving this new information. Everything you need to know about the potential move can be found there.
Thinking about the possibility of the UNC basketball arena being off campus just... doesn't seem right.
Basketball is the forefront of the University of North Carolina. Moving the basketball arena off campus just takes away from the vibe and the feel for what we all already know and love.
Sure, there are things that could be improved with the Dean Smith Center, especially student access closer to the court for more of an electric atmosphere. The off-campus site would probably provide more opportunities for building something special, but there's such a tie to the on-campus location that just feels wrong to replace.
It's still a few years away (if it even happens), but I, for one, wouldn't love the idea of the UNC basketball program playing their home games on an off-campus site.