Friday’s college basketball exhibition slate has a little of everything: a brand-new North Carolina era, a pair of NCAA Tournament teams meeting in Lincoln, and another preseason check-in for Virginia.
The headline game comes in Greensboro, where Michael Malone will coach his first game at North Carolina against USC. The Tar Heels’ new coach arrives after leading the Denver Nuggets to the 2023 NBA championship, and his debut immediately puts him across from Eric Musselman, giving the night a rare coaching matchup between two men with NBA head-coaching experience.
North Carolina’s roster looks very different, too. The Tar Heels return only one starter from last season, with senior forward Jarin Stevenson serving as an important holdover while Malone works 11 newcomers into a new system. That makes the exhibition against USC especially useful, even if the result won’t count in the standings.
USC brings plenty of intrigue on its own. Rodney Rice is back after averaging 20.3 points and six assists in six games last season before a shoulder injury ended his year, and sophomore Alijah Arenas enters his first full season after averaging 14.1 points in an injury-disrupted freshman campaign.
The game is set for 7 p.m. ET at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro and will air on ACC Network.
Nebraska also gets an early test Friday night, hosting Saint Louis at Pinnacle Bank Arena in a matchup between two teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season. The Cornhuskers are trying to build on a breakthrough year under Fred Hoiberg, who guided Nebraska to its first NCAA Tournament victories and a Sweet 16 appearance.
Pryce Sandfort is back after averaging 18.1 points last season and emerging as one of the Big Ten’s most dangerous perimeter shooters. Saint Louis, meanwhile, enters with high expectations under Josh Schertz, though replacing Robbie Avila is a major task.
Trey Green gives the Billikens a strong perimeter weapon after shooting 44.2 percent from three last season. The game starts at approximately 8 p.m.
ET and will stream on B1G+ and the Big Ten Conference’s YouTube channel, with radio coverage on the Huskers Radio Network. Nebraska also said the game will be available free through its B1G+ Free Friday promotion.
Virginia rounds out the night at home against Richmond at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers already had one exhibition under their belt, losing to Vanderbilt 82-73 in September, and now get another chance to sort through Ryan Odom’s roster before the games count for real.
Virginia’s key returners include Thijs De Ridder, Johann Grünloh and Chance Mallory. De Ridder was one of the ACC’s most productive forwards last season, Grünloh brings size and rim protection, and Mallory is expected to take on a bigger role in the backcourt.
Friday’s game should give Virginia another look at offensive spacing, defensive communication and lineup combinations. Richmond gets an ACC road test of its own before the season begins.
The exhibition tips at 7 p.m. ET and will not be televised or streamed, though live stats will be available through Virginia’s athletics website.
Saturday brings another wave of exhibitions, including Wisconsin against Wisconsin-Parkside, Utah State against Denver, Boise State against Idaho, and Mississippi State against Florida State in Pensacola, Florida. But Friday belongs to North Carolina, USC, Nebraska, Saint Louis, Virginia and Richmond - three games, three matchups, and another chance to see what these teams look like before November counts.
In Other News...
Nebraska Faces A Big Defensive Line Worry Before Indiana
Nebraskas defensive front has a new concern heading into the Indiana game, with tackle Riley Van Poppel landing on the questionable list. He is part of a Husker injury report that also saw tight end Carter Nelson and linebacker Gage Stenger move up to questionable, while several other Nebraska players remain unavailable as the matchup approaches.
Indianas report carries its own uncertainty, with wide receiver LeBron Bond listed as questionable after missing previous games. The Hoosiers also expect to have cornerback A.J. Harris and defensive end David Ndukwe back in the mix after earlier injuries, leaving both teams with some late-week personnel questions to monitor before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Suddenly Has A Chance To End One Brutal Drought
Nebraska suddenly has a rare opening to change the tone of its season, and it comes with some national buzz attached. On ESPNs Get Up, analysts Will Compton and Taylor Lewan both pointed to the Cornhuskers as a team that could make things interesting against No. 7 Indiana, a matchup that already has plenty of attention because Nebraska has gone years without beating a ranked opponent.
That drought has stretched all the way back to 2016, and Nebraska heads into this one as a 7.5-point underdog, which is why the outside belief matters at all. Compton and Lewan pointed to the fan base and the players as reasons the Cornhuskers might finally be positioned to snap the skid, setting up a test that feels as much about belief as it does about rankings. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Just Showed Why The Big Ten Keeps Chasing This Team
Nebraska kept rolling in Big Ten play with a straight-sets win over Indiana, and the numbers told the story of a team that looked sharp on both sides of the net. Harper Murray led the way with 11 kills, one ace, seven digs and two blocks, while Teraya Sigler added 10 kills and two blocks as Nebraska hit .379 overall and controlled the match from the outset.
The most interesting part came late, when Nebraska went to a new front-row lineup and tightened up its blocking even more. For a team that already brings the kind of firepower and depth that make conference opponents chase it all season, that kind of flexibility only adds to the problem for everyone else trying to catch up. [Read more 🡒]