Michael Malone’s first exhibition at North Carolina didn’t just offer a glimpse of the Tar Heels - it turned into a full-on lineup lab.
Against USC, UNC rolled out 24 different five-man combinations, and the biggest takeaway was pretty clear: Malone is still sorting through what works, but he already found one adjustment worth revisiting.
The opening group of Terrence Brown, Matt Able, Neo Avdalas, Jarin Stevenson and Sayon Keita got the longest run of the night. That same five started both halves and finished with 7:24 together, the most any UNC lineup logged in the game. In an exhibition that featured constant shuffling, that repeated look stood out as the closest thing to a baseline.
But the first change off the bench may have been even more telling.
At the 17:02 mark of the first half, Malone inserted true freshman Maximo Adams for Keita, and that lineup became the Tar Heels’ second-most-used group. It played 5:16 across three separate stints, all of them before halftime, and it was the only five-man combination besides the starters to get repeated run. For a freshman in his unofficial debut as a Tar Heel, that’s a strong sign of trust.
Adams’ presence gave UNC another versatile forward look, and it was the most intriguing rotation wrinkle of the night. If Malone was looking for a group he could keep coming back to, that was the one.
Stevenson, though, was the constant.
He was on the floor for 30:47, more than anyone else on the roster, and finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Malone used him in 21 of the 27 lineups, moving him through a wide range of frontcourt setups.
Stevenson played with Keita, alongside Alex Samodurov, and also spent 10:57 in groups that featured neither of them. That gave UNC a chance to see him in different roles, especially with Cameron Fens still considered ineligible.
The rotation search wasn’t limited to the frontcourt, either. Isaiah Denis, who couldn’t get off the bench under the previous staff, logged 20:20 across 15 stints and saw action with bench groups as well as lineups that included starters. He was arguably the Tar Heels’ second-best player behind Stevenson on the night.
And if anyone expected Malone to tighten things up as the game went along, the second half said otherwise. UNC actually used more lineup combinations after halftime, with 15 different variations in the final 20 minutes compared with 11 in the first half.
That’s a lot of mixing and matching, even by exhibition standards. The minutes were short and the sample size was small, but Malone clearly spent the night trying to learn as much as possible about his roster. The good news for UNC is simple: there are options here, and Malone doesn’t seem shy about using them.
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 🡒]