The ACC’s exhibition slate offered a little bit of everything Friday and Saturday: a few blowouts, a couple of eyebrow-raising results, and one closed-door win that stayed locked away from prying eyes.
North Carolina opened its Michael Malone era with an 88-70 win over USC in Greensboro on Friday, but the performance didn’t exactly send shockwaves through the conference. Jarin Stevenson led the Tar Heels with 25 points and 10 rebounds, yet the backcourt didn’t give UNC the kind of support that would make the result feel like a true statement. Utah transfer Terence Brown finished with 5 points and 2 assists, while Matt Able went scoreless and missed all three of his shots.
#UNC coach Michael Malone said that Terrence Brown and Matt Able are both better players than they showed on Friday. Said each not performing that way not just on them, but him as a coach, too.
- Michael McCleary (@MikeJMcCleary) October 10, 2026
Neo Avdalas, the Virginia Tech transfer from Greece, was the other Tar Heel to stuff the stat sheet, posting 15 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. UNC shot 44% from the floor, held USC to 36%, and still coughed it up 18 times.
USC, meanwhile, was working without three projected starters: KJ Lewis, Eric Reibe and Christian Collins. Reibe was officially unavailable for the exhibition, and the Trojans were already viewed as a team still waiting to get everyone on the floor.
Virginia delivered the most lopsided result of the weekend, rolling past Richmond 96-53 on Friday after falling behind 20-12 early. The Cavaliers answered with a 26-0 run and never looked back.
Five UVA players scored in double figures, with Chance Mallory, Thijs De Ridder and Martin Carrere all finishing with 12 points apiece. Virginia shot 50% overall and hit 14 of 28 from 3-point range.
Duke matched that emphatic tone in its own scrimmage, blasting Belmont 102-62 on Thursday. Dame Sarr scored 19, continuing what looks like an emerging breakout, while 7-foot freshman Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje also turned heads with 19 points and 7 rebounds in 22 minutes.
Postgame numbers from the Duke-Belmont exhibition! Stints and combinations in reply 👇
😈🏰🏀 https://t.co/PK5sgr9YHW
- Andrew Weatherman (@andreweatherman) October 9, 2026
Duke’s 7-foot freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, son of Average 🐐 Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, went off in the Blue Devils’ scrimmage against Belmont. 😈
19 POINTS 7 REBOUNDS 7/11 FG
22 MINUTES
Long live the Boumtje-Boumtje dynasty 🏀 https://t.co/0vzq3UKEec
- Average Basketball Players (@avgbballplayers) October 9, 2026
Not every result favored the ACC heavyweights. Florida State reportedly dropped a secret scrimmage to Queens Charlotte, with Jeff Goodman noting a 71-70 result, while a separate post claimed Queens pulled out an 89-88 upset in a closed scrimmage in Atlanta. There was no official confirmation from either school.
Miami also took a hit in a closed workout, with Goodman reporting that South Florida beat the Hurricanes in Tampa. And NC State came out on the right side of its hush-hush scrimmage against ECU, though details remain under wraps.
For now, the safest takeaway is the simplest one: these are exhibitions, and they only tell part of the story. But they do offer a first look, and Virginia and Duke looked every bit the part of top-tier teams, while North Carolina had some clear stuff to clean up, even in a comfortable win. NC State’s first public exhibition comes next Sunday in Greensboro against Mississippi State.
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