North Carolina’s second preseason test brought a very different feel than the first one.
After UNC impressed in Michael Malone’s head-coaching debut with an 88-70 win over USC on October 9, the Tar Heels hit the road Sunday and ran into a tougher night at Indiana, falling 76-58 in a game shaped by bench production, work on the glass and a cold shooting stretch.
Indiana’s reserves made the clearest imprint. The Hoosiers owned a 37-19 edge in bench points, and that gap loomed large as the game wore on.
Villanova transfer Bryce Lindsay led all scorers with 26 points, hitting eight of 14 shots and all six free throws. Indiana also got 10 points off the bench from senior Sam Alexis, while Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell and SMU transfer Samet Yigitoglu combined for 21 rebounds.
UNC, meanwhile, had three players finish in double figures, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace. Sayon Keita posted a career-high 12 points, going 5 of 9 from the field and 2 of 3 at the line. Jaydon Young added 10, and Matt Able chipped in 11 after being held scoreless against USC.
The Tar Heels played without sophomore guard Isaiah Denis, who had been a bright spot in last week’s win. His absence showed up in the backcourt and on the bench, where UNC didn’t get the same spark it had seen earlier in the preseason.
Keita’s night only strengthened the early impression he’s making. He followed up last week’s eye-catching opener with a 12-point, nine-rebound performance against Indiana, and he also blocked multiple shots. Between the scoring, the rebounding and the rim protection, he looked like UNC’s best answer in the post again.
The numbers on the perimeter weren’t much kinder to the Tar Heels. Indiana knocked down nine 3-pointers, shooting 33 percent from beyond the arc, with Lindsay and Duke transfer Darren Harris both connecting on multiple triples. That’s an area UNC will need to sharpen quickly, even if this is still only preseason.
There’s also a bigger question taking shape around Terrence Brown’s role. Brown averaged nearly 20 points per game at Utah last season, but he has totaled just 12 points through UNC’s two exhibitions, including seven Sunday. The Tar Heels brought him in expecting him to matter in the offense, and his backcourt impact will be important in Malone’s system.
Rebounding may be the most obvious concern for now. Indiana’s 53-31 advantage on the boards told the story, even if UNC has some size pieces to work with.
Keita gives them a quality center, Jarin Stevenson can slide to the 5, and Alexandros Samodurov offers a 6-foot-11 frame that could become useful. But the group is still sorting itself out, and none of North Carolina’s current centers has previous collegiate starting experience.
There is still one more exhibition left, with Charlotte coming next Tuesday. For now, UNC leaves Bloomington with a clear list of areas to clean up before the games start counting.
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