North Carolina fans won’t have to hunt for a way to watch the Tar Heels’ preseason tune-ups this fall. All three of UNC’s exhibition games will be televised, giving supporters a first look at the Michael Malone era before the 2026-2027 season begins.
The Tar Heels open that unofficial slate on October 9 against USC in Greensboro. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM, and the game will air on the ACC Network.
Nine days later, UNC heads to Indianapolis to face the Hoosiers at 5:00 PM. That matchup is the lone exhibition without official television information listed yet.
The final preseason stop comes on October 27, when North Carolina hosts Wes Miller and the Charlotte 49ers at the Dean Smith Center. That one is scheduled for 7:30 PM on ACC Network Extra, just five days before the start of the 2026-2027 regular season.
The timing matters because this is a very different UNC group. Malone is about to coach his first season in Chapel Hill, and the roster features a long list of new additions, including Terrence Brown, Matt Able, Neoklis Avdalas, Maximo Adams, Sayon Keita and Kevin Thomas.
These exhibition games should give fans their first real look at how all of those pieces fit together. UNC figures to try different lineups and looks, but the matchups should still offer an early read on Malone’s system and what this team wants to be.
No one expects the Tar Heels to look fully formed in October. But these games should start to reveal the group’s strengths, expose some of the rough edges, and give Malone and his staff a chance to evaluate the roster before the games count.
In a college sports world where rosters can turn over fast, UNC’s preseason schedule will serve as an important early test for a program entering a new chapter. This time, at least, fans won’t miss any of it.
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