Indiana spent the afternoon bullying Carolina on the glass and around the rim, rolling to a 76-58 exhibition win in Indianapolis and making the size mismatch look every bit as real as it appeared on paper.
The Hoosiers owned the interior from the opening stretch. They finished with a 53-31 rebounding advantage and turned that edge into constant pressure for the Tar Heels, who went more than 20 minutes of game action without even getting to the free throw line. Indiana controlled the paint, controlled the boards and controlled the rhythm.
For Carolina, freshman Sayon Keita was the one bright spot in the frontcourt. Against a bigger Indiana group, he was active from start to finish and maybe the Tar Heels’ most engaged player overall.
He finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in 27 minutes, and the Hoosiers clearly had to account for him as the night went on. He also changed several shots without officially blocking them.
What Carolina didn’t have was enough help behind him. With Cameron Fens not eligible, the Tar Heels simply lacked the post depth to keep up. Alex Samodurov wasn’t much of a factor in 13 minutes, and Jarin Stevenson struggled for much of the night against Aiden Sherrell, ending up with three points and three rebounds.
Matt Able gave Carolina a little lift with three made 3s and 11 points, while also pulling down four rebounds to rank second on the team in that category. Jaydon Young added 10 points, the only other Tar Heel to reach double figures.
Still, the overall picture was rough. Carolina shot 35 percent from the field, 32 percent from deep and 54 percent at the line.
The Heels couldn’t rebound, couldn’t turn Indiana’s 15 turnovers into enough offense and never found much flow on that end. Bryce Lindsay did real damage off the bench for Indiana, scoring 26 points on 8-for-14 shooting.
The first half told the story early. Indiana’s Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu helped the Hoosiers build a 27-14 rebounding edge by halftime, and Indiana nearly matched Carolina’s total rebounds with offensive boards alone, posting 11 offensive rebounds to the Tar Heels’ 14 total. That led to a 10-0 advantage in second chance points before the break, and Indiana eventually finished with a 17-7 edge in that department.
Carolina’s two main ball-handlers, Terrence Brown and Avdalas, combined for seven turnovers, six assists and 6-for-20 shooting. The lack of cohesion showed up in the stoppages too, with the Tar Heels using three timeouts in the first 20 minutes. Two of those came late in the half, just eight seconds apart, after the Heels came out of one timeout and then had to burn another when Neo Avdalas used a second one.
The roster still isn’t where Michael Malone wants it, either. Carolina was without Isaiah Denis on Sunday, which changed the guard rotation, and it remains without Fens while he waits for NCAA clearance. The version of Denis who played against USC would have been useful on both ends in this game.
Outside the building, some Indiana fans were surprised by how many Carolina fans showed up, even though Bloomington is only about an hour away. One Hoosier put it this way outside St. Elmo Steakhouse before tipoff: "Where did all these Carolina fans come from?"
The result doesn’t count, of course, but it does add another chapter to Carolina’s history in Indianapolis, where the program has never won. The city will host the Final Four again in 2029.
Carolina now has more than a week before its final preseason exhibition, a Oct. 27 matchup with Wes Miller’s Charlotte team at the Smith Center.
In Other News...
UNC's Preseason Loss Exposed An Early Problem Hubert Davis Can't Ignore
A preseason trip to Gainbridge Fieldhouse gave North Carolina an early reminder that the margins can be thin long before the games start counting. Indiana handled the Tar Heels 76-58, and the most telling part of the afternoon was not just the final score but the way the Hoosiers controlled the glass. Bryce Lindsays 26 points led the way for Indiana, while North Carolina struggled to match the physical edge that showed up possession after possession.
For Hubert Davis, the rebounding numbers are the kind of issue that can linger if they are not addressed quickly. Indiana won the battle on the boards 53-31 and turned that advantage into a steady stream of second-chance opportunities, leaving North Carolina looking for answers on both ends. The Tar Heels were also without Isaiah Denis, who missed the game and is day-to-day, adding another layer of uncertainty to a roster that already has a clear early problem to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs New-Look Roster Already Has An Early Concern
North Carolinas early exhibition slate has already offered a little of everything, from the encouraging to the worrisome. After a win over USC, the Tar Heels ran into a much tougher night against Indiana, falling 76-58 in a game that exposed some of the growing pains that come with a new look roster. Sayon Keita was a bright spot, finishing with a career-high 12 points and 9 rebounds, but the bigger picture was less flattering as Indianas Bryce Lindsay led all scorers with 26.
The issues were easy to spot. North Carolina needed more from its bench, had trouble on the perimeter and got beat on the glass, three areas that tend to matter even more once the games start counting for real. The Tar Heels also played without sophomore guard Isaiah Denis, which only added another layer to an already thin rotation look, and left plenty for the staff to sort through before the opener arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Belichick Sees A Real Trap Game Waiting For UNC After Duke
Bill Belichick spent a good chunk of his Monday talking less about the emotion of Saturday night at Duke and more about what comes next, which is usually the trick after a rivalry win. North Carolina had plenty to celebrate around the Victory Bell, but the reset has to be quick, and Belichick made clear that the work of moving on starts almost immediately once the thrill of beating a neighbor has passed.
Syracuse is next, and Belichick treated the Orange like a far more dangerous opponent than their record might suggest. He pointed to their use of multiple quarterbacks, the size of their offensive line and the way Fran Browns team has stayed competitive, which is exactly the sort of profile that can turn a post-rivalry week into a problem if a team is not fully committed to the new task in front of it. [Read more 🡒]