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Chapel Hill: UNC men's basketball beats Charlotte 89-82 in overtime

The Tar Heels won the last preseason game Tuesday at the Smith Center after trailing by 15. Terrence Brown scored 27. The result does not count in the standings.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill

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

What we know

Confirmed

  • North Carolina beat Charlotte 89-82 in overtime on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill in the last preseason game for both teams.Confirmed by UNC Athletics recap, box score and schedule; Charlotte Athletics game center
  • Official records list both teams at 0-0. The result does not count in the regular-season standings.Confirmed by UNC Athletics recap, box score and schedule; Charlotte Athletics game center
  • Charlotte led 36-33 at halftime. North Carolina scored 45 in the second half to Charlotte's 42, then 11 to 4 in overtime.Confirmed by UNC Athletics recap and box score
  • UNC trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, the recap said.Confirmed by UNC Athletics recap
  • Terrence Brown led North Carolina with 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting. The box score lists him 2 of 7 from three and 7 of 9 at the line, with 3 rebounds and 3 assists.Confirmed by UNC Athletics recap and box score
  • Neo Avdalas scored 16 points and had game highs of 9 rebounds and 5 assists.Confirmed by UNC Athletics recap and box score
  • Sayon Keita and Jarin Stevenson scored 12 points each. Jaydon Young scored 11, all in the second half, on 3-of-4 shooting from three.Confirmed by UNC Athletics recap and box score
  • Charlotte's Keyshaun Tillery scored 24 points, with 5 threes. The recap said he had 16 points in 16 first-half minutes. Chaze Harris scored 14 on 6-of-7 shooting.Confirmed by UNC Athletics recap and box score
  • With Charlotte ahead 78-77 and 16.9 seconds left in regulation, officials assessed a technical foul after Frank Oguche called a timeout when the 49ers had none remaining, the recap said. Brown made 1 of 2 free throws to tie the game. The box score lists that technical on Oguche.Confirmed by UNC Athletics recap and box score
  • UNC outscored Charlotte 11-4 in overtime and held the 49ers without a point for the last 3:41, the recap said.Confirmed by UNC Athletics recap
  • Tuesday was head coach Michael Malone's first game at the Smith Center.Confirmed by UNC Athletics recap
  • The official box score lists attendance of 14,803 at the Dean Smith Center.Confirmed by UNC Athletics box score
  • Sophomore guard Matt Able was not in uniform. Graduate transfer center Cameron Fens did not play and is still waiting on a ruling on fifth-year eligibility, the recap said.Confirmed by UNC Athletics recap
  • North Carolina opens the regular season Monday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. against Western Carolina at the Smith Center, on ACC Network.Confirmed by UNC Athletics 2026-27 schedule and recap

What happened

In Chapel Hill, North Carolina beat Charlotte 89-82 in overtime Tuesday night in its last preseason men's basketball game at the Smith Center.

The school's recap, statistical sheet and schedule all list that final. Both teams are 0-0. The game does not count in the regular-season standings.

UNC fell behind by as many as 15 points before the break. Charlotte led 36-33 at halftime. The Tar Heels scored 45 after that to the 49ers' 42, then 11 to 4 in the extra period.

Who scored

Terrence Brown led Carolina with 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Official stats list him 2 of 7 from three and 7 of 9 at the line.

Neo Avdalas had 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Sayon Keita and Jarin Stevenson scored 12 apiece. Jaydon Young added 11, all after halftime, including 3 of 4 threes.

Keyshaun Tillery scored 24 for Charlotte, with five threes. Sixteen of those points came in 16 first-half minutes, UNC wrote. Chaze Harris had 14 on 6-of-7 shooting. The statistical sheet spells Tillery as Keyshuan; the written recap uses Keyshaun.

How it was tied

With the 49ers up 78-77 and 16.9 seconds left in regulation, officials called a technical after Frank Oguche took a timeout Charlotte did not have. Brown made 1 of 2 free throws to knot it. That technical is listed on Oguche.

Carolina then outscored Charlotte 11-4 in overtime. The 49ers went scoreless for the last 3:41, according to UNC.

Tuesday was Michael Malone's first game as head coach on that floor. Official attendance was 14,803.

Matt Able was not in uniform. Cameron Fens did not play and is still waiting on a ruling on fifth-year eligibility.

What's next

The regular season opens Monday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. against Western Carolina at home, on ACC Network, according to the team's schedule.

Why it matters

This was UNC's last look before the regular season and Malone's first night in the Smith Center. The result does not count in the standings.

Sources

  1. Men's Basketball Holds Off Charlotte, 89-82, In OT In Final Exhibition (UNC Athletics recap, Matt Bowers, Oct. 27, 2026: 89-82 overtime at the Smith Center; trailed by as many as 15 in the first half; Brown 27 on 9 of 18; Avdalas 16 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists; Keita and Stevenson 12 each; Young 11, all in the second half; Tillery 24; Harris 14; Charlotte technical after a timeout with none remaining at 78-77 with 16.9 seconds left; Brown 1 of 2 to tie; UNC 11-4 in overtime; Malone's first Smith Center game; Able not in uniform; Fens awaiting eligibility ruling; next vs Western Carolina, Monday, Nov. 2, 7 p.m.)

    Official sourcePublished by UNC Athletics · Checked Oct 28, 2026, 8:20 PM

  2. Men's Basketball vs Charlotte on 10/27/26, box score (North Carolina 89, Charlotte 82; first half 33-36; second half 45-42; overtime 11-4; Brown 27, 9-18 FG; Avdalas 16, 9 rebounds, 5 assists; Stevenson 12; Keita 12; Young 11; Tillery 24; Harris 14; technical foul Oguche; attendance 14,803; Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill; both teams 0-0)

    Official sourcePublished by UNC Athletics · Checked Oct 28, 2026, 8:20 PM

  3. 2026-27 Men's Basketball Schedule (Charlotte preseason W, 89-82 OT, Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m., Smith Center; Western Carolina, Nov. 2, 7 p.m., Smith Center, ACC Network)

    Official sourcePublished by UNC Athletics · Checked Oct 28, 2026, 8:20 PM

  4. Men's Basketball at North Carolina on 10/27/2026, game center (Charlotte Athletics: exhibition; Charlotte 82, North Carolina 89; first half 36-33; second half 42-45; overtime 4-11; both teams 0-0; 7:30 p.m.; Tillery 24; Brown 27; Avdalas 16 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists)

    Official sourcePublished by Charlotte Athletics · Checked Oct 28, 2026, 8:24 PM

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