UNC fans won’t have to wait quite as long as expected for the first real look at the Michael Malone era.
On Monday, the Tar Heels added another exhibition to their preseason schedule, pushing the unofficial debut of Malone’s team up to October 9. UNC will face USC in “The Preseason Premiere” at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.
That gives Carolina two tune-up games before the regular season begins on November 2. The Trojans will come first, and then the Tar Heels are set to travel to Indianapolis to play Indiana on October 18, nine days later.
For a fan base already eager to see what this group looks like under a new coach, the timing makes the exhibition slate even more compelling. Malone is taking over the program, and there’s still plenty of curiosity about how this roster will look once the games start counting. These exhibitions should offer the first real glimpse.
UNC is also bringing in what amounts to an almost entirely new roster, which only adds to the intrigue. Practice clips are one thing.
Game action is another. Fans will get their first unofficial look at newcomers like Matt Able, Neoklis Avdalas, Terrence Brown, and others when the Tar Heels hit the floor.
The matchup with USC also carries a little history. It will be the 10th meeting all-time between the programs and a rematch of the Sweet 16 in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, when No. 4 seed UNC erased a 16-point deficit to beat No. 5 seed USC in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
USC enters this season with plenty of new talent of its own. The Trojans are in year three under Eric Musselman and have a top-15 incoming recruiting class headlined by top-10 prospect Christian Collins. They also added transfers KJ Lewis and Eric Reibe, while retaining pieces from last season.
So the early part of UNC’s preseason now has a clear shape: a quality test against USC, followed by another against Indiana. For anyone counting down to the Malone era, the first date to circle is October 9.
In Other News...
Seth Trimble Could Still Create An Awkward ACC Problem For UNC
Seth Trimbles next move is still unsettled, but the possibility of him taking advantage of an additional year of eligibility has already started to ripple through the ACC. The former UNC guard spent four seasons in Chapel Hill and, if he is able to play again in 2026-27, he would bring a familiar face and a proven backcourt presence back onto the market at a time when teams are always looking for experienced help.
A few programs are keeping close tabs on the situation, and the uncertainty is part of what makes it so tricky for Carolina to sort out from a distance. Trimbles eligibility hinges on NCAA rulings, and his previous run with the Washington Wizards in NBA Summer League only adds another layer to an already complicated process, leaving open the possibility that this quietly becomes an awkward conference headache for the Tar Heels. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Belichick Already Faces A Brutal Early Test At North Carolina
Bill Belichick arrived in Chapel Hill with the kind of name recognition that can change the temperature around a program overnight, but the work in front of him is the same kind that confronts every coach at North Carolina: turn a disappointing football team into one that can survive a demanding schedule. The Tar Heels are coming off a 4-8 season, and the expectation now is simple enough even if the path is not - show real improvement fast, or the questions will only get louder.
What makes this early stretch so uneasy is the way the football concerns have been layered with everything else around Belichicks arrival. North Carolina is already dealing with the pressure of a tough season ahead, and there are financial realities attached to any drastic move, which only raises the stakes if things go sideways again. For now, the Tar Heels are trying to keep the focus on results, because the margin for patience looks thin from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Repeat Hopes Just Got A Big Backcourt Spotlight
Sports Illustrateds early look at the best shooting guards for the 2026-27 season offers a useful snapshot of how much talent is about to reshape the backcourt picture across college basketball. The list includes familiar names in new places, like Blackwell heading to Duke, as well as players such as Mullins returning to Washington and others like Haggerty, Holt, Falslev, McKenney and Mobley, each expected to play major roles after strong recent stretches.
For North Carolina fans, one of the more relevant entries is Able, the transfer from NC State, whose arrival adds another layer to the Tar Heels perimeter expectations. The ranking doesnt just nod to his upside, it frames him as someone whose first season in Chapel Hill could carry real weight in determining how far this team goes, with the spotlight now squarely on how quickly he settles in and how big a role he can handle right away. [Read more 🡒]