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Chapel Hill, Orange County

Chapel Hill: UNC men's basketball beats USC 88-70 in Malone's first exhibition

The Tar Heels won the preseason game Friday night at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. Both schools posted the same final. The result does not count in the standings.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published · Updated

Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill

File photo: Mx. Granger (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • North Carolina beat Southern California 88-70 in a preseason men's basketball game Friday, Oct. 9, at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro.Confirmed by UNC Athletics 2026-27 schedule; USC Athletics 2026-27 schedule
  • UNC lists the result as W, 88-70. USC lists it as L, 70-88. Both call the game an exhibition or preseason game.Confirmed by UNC Athletics schedule; USC Athletics schedule
  • The game tipped at 7 p.m. Eastern and was on ACC Network. It was new head coach Michael Malone's first game on the sideline for Carolina. UNC has said it believes this was the earliest preseason game in school history.Confirmed by UNC Athletics preview and schedule
  • UNC returns one starter, senior forward Jarin Stevenson, and five lettermen from last season. Eleven newcomers are on this year's roster.Confirmed by UNC Athletics preview
  • Last season UNC finished 24-9 overall and 12-6 in the ACC, tied for fourth in the league. The Tar Heels were 18-0 at home, earned the program's 55th NCAA Tournament bid, and posted their 66th 20-win season.Confirmed by UNC Athletics preview
  • Two more exhibitions follow, Oct. 18 against Indiana in Indianapolis and Oct. 27 against Charlotte at the Smith Center. The regular season opens Nov. 2 against Western Carolina in Chapel Hill.Confirmed by UNC Athletics preview and schedule

Still unknown

  • Player statistics, the halftime score and how long each newcomer played. Neither school had posted a box score or recap as of 9:22 p.m. Friday

What happened

North Carolina beat Southern California 88-70 on Friday night in Michael Malone's first game as the Tar Heels' coach.

Both schools posted that score on their official schedules after the preseason game at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. UNC lists it as W, 88-70. USC lists it as L, 70-88. The game does not count in the regular-season standings.

The teams tipped at 7 p.m. on ACC Network. UNC said before the game that it believed this was the earliest preseason game in program history.

Neither athletic department had posted a box score or a written recap as of 9:22 p.m. Friday, so this story does not include player statistics.

Who played

The athletic department's preview said UNC returned one starter, senior forward Jarin Stevenson, and five lettermen. Eleven newcomers are on this year's roster.

Last season the Tar Heels finished 24-9 overall and 12-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, tied for fourth. They were unbeaten at home, 18-0, earned the program's 55th NCAA Tournament bid, and posted their 66th 20-win season, which UNC says is the second-highest total in college basketball history.

What's next

UNC has two more exhibitions: Oct. 18 against Indiana in Indianapolis, at 5 p.m., and Oct. 27 against Charlotte at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, at 7:30 p.m. The regular season opens Nov. 2 against Western Carolina in Chapel Hill, at 7 p.m. on ACC Network, according to the team's schedule.

Why it matters

This was the first look at UNC under a new coach, and the only Triangle college basketball game Friday. The result does not count in the standings.

Updates

  1. Oct 9, 2026, 9:25 PM

    UNC Athletics and USC Athletics both posted a final score of North Carolina 88, Southern California 70. No official box score or recap was up yet.

Sources

  1. 2026-27 Men's Basketball Schedule

    Official sourcePublished by UNC Athletics · Checked Oct 9, 2026, 9:22 PM

  2. 2026-27 USC Men's Basketball Schedule

    Official sourcePublished by USC Athletics · Checked Oct 9, 2026, 9:22 PM

  3. Men's Basketball To Open Preseason Vs. USC In Greensboro Friday Night

    Official sourcePublished by UNC Athletics · Checked Oct 9, 2026, 11:54 AM

  4. Start Times Set For Three MBB Preseason Games

    Official sourcePublished by UNC Athletics · Checked Oct 9, 2026, 11:54 AM

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