Hawaii basketball fans now have a date they can circle in Carolina blue.

UH and North Carolina have reached an agreement to meet on Nov. 20, 2020 in the Stan Sheriff Center.

It will be the first basketball game between the teams since 2016, when the Tar Heels won before a capacity crowd on the Manoa campus.

“It’s awesome,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “It’s exciting on a lot of different levels to bring in a really good team in our arena in front of our fans.”

The Tar Heels are part of college basketball’s elite. They have won six national titles, and have produced several NBA greats, including the sport’s most famous shoemaker — Michael Jordan.

“You’re talking about a national program, great coach (Roy Williams),” Ganot said. “They’re good every year. They’re national championship contenders every year. This place” — he gazed around the Sheriff Center — “sold out the last time. It’s something we’ve worked on since they were here last.”

This is the latest step in the ’Bows’ quest to upgrade the oft-criticized schedules the past two seasons.

“I think criticism, in general, is always part of the deal,” Ganot said of past schedules. “I don’t get into that.”

This season — which offers a preview with tonight’s exhibition against Hawaii Pacific — is a competition of nonconference extremes. The ’Bows play two Division II teams (Humboldt State and UH Hilo), but also are in two nationally televised tournaments (Wooden Legacy and Diamond Head Classic), as well as competing in a road game against UCLA in historic Pauley Pavilion.

“We’re trying to work our way back,” Ganot said of scheduling, “as our program is working its way back.”

Ganot indicated that cancellations, availability conflicts and budget constraints forced the ’Bows to scramble to complete this season’s schedule. In the spring, there were two schools that backed out of commitments to play the ’Bows.

“It created a scramble, which you certainly don’t want to do here,” Ganot said. “Sometimes, in some cases, (cancellations have) given us an opportunity if a bigger school had an opening at the same time we had. So, at least, we can get a team like that. But overall, you don’t want to be in that situation here.”

Ganot said it is increasingly difficult to attract teams to Hawaii, especially for single games, because potential opponents are bound to more league games played at earlier dates. “To be honest with you, we had some really good opportunities but didn’t have the (available) dates,” Ganot said. “And there was no wiggle room on the dates. Or we had good opportunities, but that team had to factor a Hawaii trip with all the other games they had scheduled.”

Other schools also have offered more lucrative appearance fees. “It’s a puzzle,” Ganot said of piecing together a schedule.

But Ganot said Hawaii remains an attractive option, for some teams, to boost their recruiting pitches. An NCAA exemption enables visiting teams not to count a game here toward their schedule limit. “We’re trying to look for those kinds of teams,” Ganot said.