Preview: NC State, UNC rivalry week

RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State State University is just 25 miles from the University of North Carolina, connected via the Tobacco Road, I-40. The rivalry between the long-standing public institutions, both giants of North Carolina’s higher education, is deep-rooted and multifaceted, stemming from differences in identity and culture, as well as the schools’ close proximity. NC State and UNC are both members of the Atlantic Coast Conference and are situated within the Research Triangle of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Since the founding of the ACC in 1953, the schools have faced each other in football every year. 

The intensity of the football rivalry has fueled tension across the universities. Feelings and attitudes established on the football field carry over into the broader campus culture, reinforcing a sense of "us against them." The contrast between the narrative cultures feeds the divide – “elitist bluebloods” versus the “hard-working engineers and agriculture-focused individuals”. 

This rivalry is particularly visible in Raleigh, where students, alumni, neighbors and families are invested. Some children grow up in “divided households,” and with family members loyal to opposing schools. License plates indicate which university drivers support. Flags hang outside, with NC State on one side and UNC on the other. Bumper stickers and buttons show support, including images of fish representing each university eating each other. 

Invisalign Arena, home of the North Carolina State Icepack, is 27 miles from Orange County Sportsplex, home of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. 

Both hockey teams were founded in the 1970s, and their proximity keeps them part of the same conversation. The Icepack and the Tar Heels are members of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), and until this season, both competed at the Men’s Division 2 level. As part of the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League, the teams face each other in conference play, including the annual GovCup at the Lenovo Center. They also stage showcases such as Frozen Finley in 2023 and the annual GovCup at the Lenovo Center.  

Since 2019, NC State and UNC have met multiple times each season. The Icepack dominated the early matchups, but the Tar Heels have made the competition more balanced in recent years. Overall, NC State holds a 32-13-2 record against UNC since 2008 and will look to continue stacking wins. 

Four years and seven games into the rivalry face-offs, UNC won its first game against NC State. Since then, the Tar Heels have recorded at least one win per season, creating a more equal competition than at the start. In 2023, the rivalry reached a new stage at Carter-Finley Stadium. As part of the NHL Stadium Series, the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals played inside NC State’s football stadium. With help from Shane Willis and the Hurricanes organization, the club hockey teams took advantage of the ice and played in front of an estimated 26,000 fans. NC State won 7-3. 

During the 2024-25 season, UNC beat NC State in overtime during a conference game. NC State responded with a 4-1 win at the Governor’s Cup in February. 

With both the Icepack and the Tar Heels making the jump to Division 1 in the ACHA this season, Friday night’s game will be their first meeting at the new level. A true “battle of the town,” NC State and UNC always deliver a spectacle that fans should be eager to see.