Heel Tough Blog: UNC Set to Face Big 10 School In Preseason Exhibition

Tar Heel Story

While Carolina is still working to finalize their non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season, the preseason schedule took another step toward being set for the first year of the Michael Malone era. Earlier this summer, UNC announced it will travel to Indianapolis to take on the Indiana Hoosiers in late October. According to Inside Carolina and other sources close to the UNC Basketball program, UNC will play USC in Greensboro prior to making the trip to the Midwest. The preseason contest will be part of “The Preseason Premiere”, which was made public by the host arena, First Horizon Coliseum, formerly the Greensboro Coliseum. 

USC went 18-14 last season, including going just 7-13 in Big 10 competition, after a strong non-conference season, where they won the Maui Invitational. Despite the struggles last season, USC is ranked 11th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings for next season, with a roster built around its backcourt, in Rodney Rice and KJ Lewis. 

This likely ends the tradition of UNC hosting a small in-state school in a preseason exhibition, just another sign of the program’s evolution under new head coach Michael Malone, who finalized his roster last week with the addition of South Dakota transfer Cameron Fens. 

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