UNC’s first preseason look should tell us a few useful things, even if it won’t answer everything fans want to know about this team.
Friday night will be the first time UNC men’s basketball is back on the floor since March, and with a new coach in place, there’s plenty still to sort out. The identity of this group is still taking shape, but the opener should at least give a few clues about what the Tar Heels are trying to become.
It won’t settle every debate. It doesn’t need to.
It just needs to show whether the pieces are starting to fit.
The biggest question is whether this team can make perimeter shooting a real part of its offense. Michael Malone’s NBA track record with the Denver Nuggets included a lot of different shot distributions over the years, but the actual three-point rate stayed in a fairly steady range, and last year’s UNC team finished at 42.2%.
That number matters here because Malone won’t have Nikola Jokic on this roster, which could push the Heels toward a different shot mix. Against USC, a team that should make them earn every clean look, it will be worth watching how often UNC gets to the arc and how aggressively Malone wants that to happen.
Just as important is who takes those shots. Matt Able shot 36% from three last season at N.C.
State on four attempts per game and figures to be part of the answer. After that, the picture gets much less clear.
Jarin Stevenson and Neo Avdalas can both get hot, but both were around 30% from deep last year. Maximo Adams looks like a shooter, though freshmen often need time to settle in from outside, especially at UNC.
Jaydon Young shot it decently for the Heels last year, but he’ll have to earn minutes in a crowded wing group. Isaiah Denis and Angelo Brizzi also look like capable shooters, though it’s not obvious how much run they’ll get as ballhandlers.
Alex Samodurov has a smooth stroke, but his track record against the best competition he’s faced hasn’t been especially strong. There may be more shooting here than meets the eye, but UNC will have to uncover and develop it.
The frontcourt is another spot to monitor closely. With Cameron Fens not eligible as of this writing, UNC is thin at the five and not exactly overflowing at power forward either.
Sayon Keita and Samodurov are the only real centers on the roster right now, while Stevenson, Adams and maybe Kevin Thomas are the names most likely to factor at the four. Stevenson and Samodurov can probably cover for each other in a pinch.
Adams, though, may fit better going the other direction. Thomas brings a strong build and could enter that mix as well.
How Malone manages those minutes will matter. Keita and Samodurov both come from professional environments, but they did not log much time against adults, and this level will be a different kind of physical test.
The freshmen will feel that, too. USC is guard-heavy, but there is size up front, so this should be a useful early stress test for UNC’s interior rotation and for Malone’s ability to adjust on the fly.
Then there’s Terrence Brown, Jr., the player who may say the most about where this season is headed. Brown comes over from Utah after averaging 20 points per game in one of the toughest leagues in college basketball, and UNC is going to ask him to be the offensive engine. The hope is that he won’t need to carry quite as much as he did before, but the Tar Heels still want him hunting shots.
There’s also reason to think the environment around him could help. Brown took only 98 threes last season, so the bigger gains may come from better looks around the basket and fewer forced midrange attempts. The Harrison Ingram comparison fits there: a talented transfer can see his efficiency jump when he doesn’t have to create so much on his own.
Brown’s game is built for attention anyway. He attacks constantly, goes after the rim, and puts pressure on defenders every trip.
He had 20 dunks and 204 free throw attempts last year, more than basically every 2025-26 UNC backcourt player combined. That kind of profile is rare now, and it should make him one of the most fun players on the roster.
It should also make him the clearest measuring stick for this team. If UNC is going to be as good as it hopes, Brown has to show he can keep scoring at a high level in a better setting without wasting as many possessions.
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