Heel Tough Blog: Indiana Exhibition - What 2 Watch 4
For the second time under Michael Malone, the Tar Heels are set to play a preseason exhibition game, this time against the Indiana Hoosiers, in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday evening. The Tar Heels opened preseason play with an impressive 88-70 win over USC last Friday against USC, in a game where Carolina’s defensive intensity fueled a big second half, leading to the comfortable win. The Trojans were without three key members of their rotation, on a team that figures to make the NCAA Tournament this season.
The Hoosiers enter their second season under Darian Devries, who has revamped his roster for the 2026-27 season, after missing the NCAA Tournament his first season on the job in Bloomington. His roster is led by veteran guards Markus Burton (Notre Dame) and Bryce Lindsay (Villanova), along with big men Aiden Sherril (Alabama) and Samet Yigitoglu (SMU), to give themselves a formidable starting lineup in the Big 10, which they were picked to finish 9th in the preseason poll. Just like last week against USC, Indiana will provide a nice test for the Tar Heels, as they continue to learn who they are under new head coach Michael Malone.
While this game happens to be on a neutral court just like the USC exhibition, this one will feel more like a road game, as it’s in downtown Indianapolis, and last week’s game, which was in Greensboro, gave UNC a slight home-court advantage. This will be the first time we’ve seen Carolina in action after being picked to finish 5th in the ACC for the upcoming season, and the last time to make an impression before the preseason AP Poll drops tomorrow. With that in mind, here’s what to watch for in today’s game against Indiana:
Terrence Brown Bounce Back Game: After a quiet debut against USC, where Terrence Brown only scored 5 points, does he look more like the Utah version of himself and seek more of his own offense today? In his last two seasons, Brown poured in over 1,300 points, but the task with the transfer to UNC is to be a much more efficient scorer than he was in the Big 12. Now, it helped that Neo Avdalas was sensational for the Tar Heels, especially in the second half, along with the production from Isaiah Denis off the bench, but Carolina needs to get its scoring from its lead guard.
How Do Denis & Adams Follow Up Big Performances: In the win over the Trojans, reserves Isaiah Denis and Maximo Adams combined to score 25 points off the bench, but it was their energy that changed the game just as much as their scoring output. Denis scored 14 points and took shots at Hubert Davis in his postgame availability, saying that he was capable of doing that last year as a freshman, when he only scored 19 points total. Adams, who stayed committed to UNC, scored 11 points after the firing of Davis and has the look and feel of a freshman who will be playing meaningful minutes all season long. Not that Indiana will be looking to gameplan against them, how Denis and Adams follow up their respective performances will go a long way to building trust with their new coach, teammates, and, of course, the fan base.
Keita & Samodurov Progress: The UNC frontcourt is going to be a work in progress, as they await an answer on the eligibility status of South Dakota transfer Cameron Fens, and the continued growth and maturation of overseas additions, Sayon Keita, and Alexandros Samodurov. The Hoosiers do have size and strength down low, and how these slimmer UNC bigs handle that size will be an indication of things to come once the regular season starts, in just over two weeks. Jarin Stevenson was utilized at the 5 last week, and we expect that to be the same in this game, after Stevenson produced a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double in the win.
KenPom (Preseason):
North Carolina - 37th overall. Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 116.8 (37th); Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 97.5 (42nd)
Indiana - 47th overall. Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 116.1 (42nd); Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 98.1 (49th)
TV Info: Today’s exhibition will be available on Pay-Per-View on Big Ten Network Extra. For more information, visit GoHeels.com
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