USC’s first preseason test of the 2026-27 season turned into a long, back-and-forth fight before North Carolina finally broke it open.
The Trojans dropped an 88-70 exhibition game to the Tar Heels on Oct. 9 at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C., a building that played very much like a home floor for UNC. The game featured seven ties and 14 lead changes, but the Tar Heels seized control with a 12-0 run midway through the second half and never let USC back in.
Rodney Rice led the Trojans in his return after missing most of last season, filling up the box score with 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting, three rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. Alijah Arenas, making his first appearance alongside Rice, added 17 points on 7-for-15 shooting. Darius Ratliff also made a strong first impression in his first collegiate start, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
USC came out firing. A 12-0 burst gave the Trojans an early 10-3 lead, and threes from Rice and Darius Ratliff helped set the tone.
Ratliff was active immediately, blocking a shot on one end, hitting a three on the other and then drawing a shooting foul on the next possession. He had 11 points, three rebounds and two blocks in the opening half alone.
The Trojans kept UNC scoreless for nearly five minutes, but the Tar Heels eventually settled in and grabbed a 23-22 lead with 8:33 left in the first half. Arenas answered with six straight points to keep USC right there.
Late in the half, USC stretched the margin to four after a Jadis Jones layup and Adonis Ratliff’s first three of the night made it 35-31. North Carolina answered through Neo Avdalas, who scored five of UNC’s final six points to pull the game even at 37 before a Rice jumper sent USC into halftime up 39-37.
The second half stayed tight for a while. North Carolina briefly moved ahead, then Rice and Adonis Ratliff buried threes to put USC up 45-43 with 17:22 left. From there, the lead kept flipping, and neither team managed to separate itself before the first media timeout.
USC’s defense then sparked another push. The Trojans forced turnovers on three straight possessions and built a 53-49 edge.
But the offense went quiet for six minutes, and UNC responded with the decisive 12-0 run to go up 61-53 with 9:16 remaining. Arenas and Rice kept trying to drag USC back, but North Carolina held a double-digit cushion over the final 3:41 and closed out the 88-70 win.
The Tar Heels shot 44% from the field to USC’s 36% and owned the glass 47-33, but they also turned it over 18 times to USC’s 14. The Trojans converted those UNC mistakes into 24 points.
USC’s next road exhibition comes Saturday, Oct. 17, at UC San Diego. Tip-off on ESPN+ is set for 7:00 p.m.
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