Michigan basketball teams to take on UNC in inaugural Jumpman Invitational

The men's and women's basketball teams are set to take on North Carolina in the inaugural Jumpman Invitational at 7 p.m. on Dec. 20 (women's) and at 7 p.m. on Dec. 21 (men's), the teams announced on Thursday. The event will take place at the Spectrum Center in North Carolina, home of the Charlotte Hornets.

The first-ever Jumpman Invitational will feature the men's and women's basketball teams from the four schools which originally signed deals with the Jordan Brand — Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

The women will have an opportunity to defeat the Tar Heels for the first time in program history. The two women's teams have met only once prior, in 1987, when North Carolina got the better of Michigan, 88-75.

The men on the other hand, have a much richer history with the Tar Heels. This winter's game will be the fifth meeting between the two teams in the last six seasons.

The two teams split the previous four meetings. Only one of the previous four games was played on a neutral court, and Michigan won, 73-64, at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.

Although it will be recorded as a neutral site game for the men's and women's teams, North Carolina will likely have a slight advantage due to the fact that the Spectrum Center is much closer to Chapel Hill than it is to Ann Arbor.

For the men, the matchup with the Tar Heels will add to an exciting slate of nonconference games for Juwan Howard's Wolverines. The team will travel to Europe in August as part of its preseason tour, but will make a return trip to London in December to take on Kentucky. Michigan will also compete in the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York along with Arizona State, VCU and Pittsburgh.

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