Another box was checked for the beginning of the Michael Malone era at North Carolina. On Friday night, the Tar Heels' new coach and NBA Champion walked out of the tunnel at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. for the first of three preseason games. Flanked by his assistant coaches in matching Carolina blue Q-Zips pullovers and navy pants, Malone was met with thunderous applause and a burst of excitement from the partisan Gate City crowd.
With the start of the 2026-27 college basketball season less than three weeks away, preseason games, scrimmages, exhibitions, or whatever you want to call them, are taking place around the country. Some are open to the public while others are deemed "secret." North Carolina vs. USC on Friday was one of the bigger games of the weekend.
After getting off to a slow start, the Tar Heels surged in the second half and outscored the Trojans by 20 in the 88-70 win. The star of the show on the UNC side was Jarin Stevenson, who was the lone starter from last year's team to stay with the program after the coaching change. He finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Also in action last weekend was Indiana, a team expected to be much improved under second-year coach Darian DeVries. Indiana defeated Butler 96-68 behind 13 points from Duke transfer Darren Harris and 13 from Notre Dame transfer Markus Burton. Last week, Duke freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje played his first game against Division I competition and showed why he should be the favorite to go No. 1 in the 2028 NBA Draft.
Boumtje Boumtje dominated on both ends of the floor and should be in line to start next to veteran big man Patrick Ngongba II on opening night next month. With more scrimmages in the books, here are our biggest takeaways from what took place last week. If you want to read about our thoughts on Duke, LSU and Alabama, that notebook can be found here.
The only returning starter from last year's team, Stevenson will be counted on for a little more of everything for UNC this season. On Friday, Stevenson impressed --- from his rebounding and scoring to outside shooting and a back-to-the-basket presence. He hit four threes and scored inside, flashing improved footwork, which he said was a big focus of the offseason.
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