UNC basketball memories of first game at Smith Center might surprise some Tar Heels

Steve Hale felt like a stranger in the Smith Center. It’s been 40 years since UNC basketball played its first game at the Dean Dome. On Jan. 18, 1986, the top-ranked Tar Heels had a dazzling debut against No. 3 Duke with a 95-92 victory in front of a crowd of more than 21,000 fans. Hale, a senior on that 1985-86 squad, had a career-high 28 points, along with five assists, four rebounds and three steals. But that matchup against the Blue Devils isn't what he remembers most about opening the new arena. “The main thing was we hadn’t been in the Smith Center, hardly at all. I was actually talking to one of my kids about it over Christmas. I got lost, I didn’t know where anything was, ‘cause we...