Heel Tough Blog: Charlotte Exhibition Takeaways
It wasn’t pretty, and it dang sure wasn’t easy, but the Tar Heels escaped Charlotte last night, 89-82 in overtime, to close out preseason exhibition play. Carolina trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, before closing the half on a 9-0 run, to only trail 36-33 at the break. In the second half, Carolina started to flex their muscle, and built a 64-57 lead, before a 17-5 Charlotte run, gave the 49ers the lead at the final media timeout. The outlook looked bleak for Carolina, who trailed 78-77 with less than 20 seconds left to play, before Charlotte called timeout, after a Neo Avdalas layup, trimmed the lead to one. The problem was that the 49ers were all out of timeouts, forcing a technical foul to be called, sending UNC to the foul line. Terrence Brown went 1-2, tying the game at 78, which would be the score at the end of regulation. In the extra period, Carolina would finish the game on a 9-0 run, holding Charlotte to just 1-9 from the field, paving the way for them to pull away for a victory.
After two less than inspiring games as a Tar Heel, Terrence Brown responded in a big way last night, with 27 points, including the dagger three, as the Utah transfer finally looked like the player Carolina coveted back in the off-season. His backcourt mate, Neo Avdalas looked like the Neo from the USC win, scoring 16 points, leading the team with 9 rebounds, and handing out 5 assists, as for the first time, the duo played at a high level at the same time. The duo had help off the bench, as Jaydon Young’s perimeter shooting, combined with Angelo Brizzi’s energy and effort, lifted Carolina’s spirit at times, when it was evident that Charlotte was clearly outplaying the Tar Heels. As Michael Malone is still seeking to find his best lineups, it’s clear that there needs to be three guards on the floor as much as possible, with the quartet mentioned above, along with Matt Able, who didn’t play last night, but is the best perimeter shooter on the roster.
Under Michael Malone, UNC ditched the annual Blue/White game, along with the traditional exhibition against a small in-state school, and that decision will hopefully pay off, as the regular season gets started next Monday night. And while Carolina got pushed more than anyone expected last night, it was a great learning experience for a group that features 11 new players, Here’s what to takeaway from last night’s exhibition win over Charlotte:
Terrence Brown Delivers: For the first time in Carolina Blue, Terrence Brown looked like the player that UNC coveted in the transfer portal, and the Heels needed every bit of it. He led UNC with 27 points, on 8-15 shooting, including making the game-tying free throw, and the dagger three in overtime. For the first time in preseason play, Michael Malone put the ball in Brown’s hands, and he answered the call, with multiple finishes at the rim, sometimes finishing through contact, along with a thunderous dunk in transition. His emotions were on display as well, jawing with Charlotte’s Keyshaun Tillery, as the two were engaged in a mini game of one-on-one, and the Heels need that edge on the court with them. As he continues to adjust to sharing the ball with Neo Avdalas, it was important for him to have that type of performance before the regular season starts, and doubt could start to creep in.
Timely Shooting: Carolina shot 12-29 from behind the arc last night, fueling their comeback from a double-digit deficit in the first half. Six different Tar Heels made at least one triple, led by Jaydon Young, who went 3-4 off the bench, on his way to 11 points. Jarin Stevenson made timely threes, at the end of the second half, before Terrence Brown iced the game in overtime. Sayon Keita proved his offensive versatility, being a great passer out of the pocket, finding open shooters in the corners, as he finished with 3 assists. The fact that Carolina made double-digit threes, and shot over 40% is proof of how good of a shooting team this can be, considering they did all of that, without their best perimeter shooter in Matt Able.
Jaydon Young & Angelo Brizzi Provide a Spark: In the preseason win over USC, reserves Isaiah Denis and Maximo Adams provided energy off the bench. Last night, it was veteran guards, Jaydon Young and Angelo Brizzi, who helped breath life into UNC. Young scored 11 points, and was 4-6 from the field. Brizzi may not have scored, but his competitive spirit on the defensive end of the floor, inspired Carolina, as they tightened up in that area of the game. Both have earned minutes off the bench, as the regular season starts next week.
Rebounding: Now to the negative. There’s no denying that this isn’t a vintage UNC frontcourt, but that doesn’t excuse Carolina being outrebounded 36-30, including 12-6 on the offensive glass. Jarin Stevenson played 38 minutes, and grabbed 2 rebounds. Sayon Keita played 33 minutes, and grabbed 2 rebounds. Alexandros Samodurov played 16 minutes, and grabbed 1 rebound. Simply put, that can’t happen. Neo Avdalas is poised to lead the team in rebounding, after 9 rebounds out of his guard position, and that’s not ideal, even with his size. Michael Malone called out his frontcourt in his postgame press conference, challenging his team to be more committed to rebounding the basketball, on both ends of the floor. It’s safe to say, like this roster is, the rebounding will be a constant work in progress as the season moves along.
Live Ball Turnovers: UNC turned the ball over 14 times last night, leading to 23 points for the 49ers. Carolina turned the ball over on their first possession of the game, and struggled with protecting the basketball over the course of the game. 4 of 5 starters committed at least two turnovers, with Jarin Stevenson being the only starter to not turn the basketball over.
Free Throws: Had Carolina lost, missed free throws would’ve been a big reason, as Carolina went just 17-27 from the foul line. What’s concerning is that Brown and Avdalas combined to miss 5 free throws, including one from Brown, that would’ve given UNC the lead, after a technical foul was called on Charlotte with less than 20 seconds left in regulation. On the flip side, Carolina struggled to defend without fouling in the second half, where Charlotte went 14-17 from the line, so that’s another area that needs to be cleaned up, before next week.
Slow Starts: For the the third straight exhibition, Michael Malone had to use a first half timeout, after a less than ideal start to the game. UNC trailed 10-5 at the time of the timeout, and would trail 25-10, before a strong close to the half, made it a 36-33 game at the break. In all three preseason games, Carolina has trailed at the half, which is enough of a sample size to make you believe this could carry over into the regular season. Malone said in his postgame presser, that he felt like his team was nervous, but it’s something that needs to be addressed, and fixed, or else this team could find itself playing closer games than it should at home in November.
Up Next: Carolina will open the 2026-27 regular season, next Monday at home against Western Carolina. Tip is scheduled for 7 PM on the ACC Network.
The Four Corners: Tonight’s podcast will air at 7PM, on Facebook, YouTube & X!
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