North Carolina’s first chance to show off its new look comes Friday night against USC, and there’s plenty riding on the Tar Heels’ preseason opener beyond the final score.
This offseason has been defined by change in Chapel Hill. Michael Malone is now running the program, and he’s doing it with a roster that barely resembles last year’s group. UNC has 11 newcomers in the rotation, which makes this exhibition less of a tune-up and more of an early read on what kind of team the Tar Heels can be.
USC provides a useful test. The Trojans are being discussed as a possible top-10 team to begin the 2026 season, so this is the kind of opponent that can quickly reveal where North Carolina stands. The expected starting five for the Tar Heels is Neoklis Avdalas, Terrence Brown, Matt Able, Jarin Stevenson, and Sayon Keita, with Maximo Adams, Alexandros Samodurov, Angelo Brizzi, Kevin Thomas, Cade Bennerman, Isaiah Denis, and Jaydon Young available off the bench.
What Malone and his staff do with the rotation may end up being just as important as the matchup itself. This game is a chance to try different combinations and get a feel for how the pieces fit.
Two areas stand out immediately: the center spot and the incoming freshmen. Stevenson is locked in at power forward, but the rest of the frontcourt remains very much up in the air.
Among the newcomers, Adams, Thomas, and Keita are the names to keep closest tabs on. Adams brings the kind of upside that jumps off the page; at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, he’d be a starter for a lot of programs, which makes his role coming off the bench even more notable. Thomas, meanwhile, is the one who figures to get plenty of run because he needs every rep he can get before the regular season begins.
There’s also the broader question of what this team looks like under Malone. The backcourt should be a major strength, especially compared with last season. Brown scored 19.9 points per game in 2025 at Utah, and Avdalas’ playmaking should pair well with both Brown and Able.
That backcourt trio against USC’s guard talent should be one of the most interesting parts of the night. The Trojans will be missing some players, but even so, this is still the kind of exhibition that can tell you a lot about where North Carolina is headed.
In Other News...
UNC Faces A Defining Final Road Test Before Coming Home
Carolina field hockey is nearing the end of a three-week road trip, and the last stop away from home brings a useful measuring stick before the team heads back to Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels will see Saint Josephs first, then No. 17 Liberty, with the trip giving them one more chance to sharpen things after a recent 3-0 win over No. 16 Louisville showed how dangerous they can look against ranked opposition.
The timing matters because these final road games also fold into a stretch that has already featured familiar history and a chance to stack results before the schedule turns again. Carolina has leaned on players like Charly Bruder, whose career scoring total has become part of the teams offensive backbone, and now the question is whether that balance can carry over one more weekend before the Tar Heels finally come home. [Read more 🡒]
UNC May Have Found A Passing Weapon Defenses Cant Ignore
Jelani Thurmans first month at North Carolina has given the Tar Heels something they can build on in the passing game. After arriving from Ohio State this season, the tight end has quickly settled in as a steady presence for quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., averaging four catches per game through four games and already topping his career receiving yardage from his time with the Buckeyes.
For a North Carolina offense looking for reliable options, Thurmans early chemistry with Edwards has stood out. He has become the kind of consistent target defenses have to account for, and his role gives the Tar Heels a flexible weapon at tight end as they keep sorting out where the passing game can gain the most traction. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Freshman Sayon Keita Is Forcing His Way Into A Bigger Role
Sayon Keita did not arrive in Chapel Hill with much time to settle in, but the 7-foot freshman center has already made himself hard to ignore. The Mali native came over from FC Barcelonas system in Spain shortly before the semester started, then quickly began showing the kind of size and skill package that can change a frontcourt conversation for North Carolina.
Michael Malone has been encouraged enough by Keitas transition to a new country and a new college game to believe he can push for meaningful minutes right away. Keita reclassified to join the Tar Heels this season after committing on April 28, and the only real question now is how quickly his game translates once the competition for playing time tightens. [Read more 🡒]