Michael Malone’s Brutal Assessment of UNC’s Performance Against Indiana

The North Carolina Tar Heels suffered a discouraging 76-58 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers in their second exhibition game on Sunday night.

While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, head coach Michael Malone voiced his concerns and reasoning for the result.

Struggles on the Boards

• “We got outrebounded 53-31. That’s a crazy number," Malone said. "To give up 20 offensive rebounds for 17 points, and that was a point of emphasis all week long in preparation for this team, knowing how big they are with Samet Yigitoglu and Aiden Sherrell and all the other guys."

• "So just to be manhandled, to be outworked on the glass was disappointing, and that’s not just on our bigs, that’s on everybody to make sure we’re rebounding," Malone continued. "We did a really poor job of that. I felt our defense, to be very honest, was really good," Malone continued. "We held that team to 36% from the field. That’s a very good number, but you have to finish the possession.”

The 55-year-old head coach has made it abundantly clear at various points of the offseason that he wants North Carolina's offense to be an extension of the defense. As Malone stated, the Tar Heels held Indiana below 40 percent from the field. However, when a team has 20 offensive rebounds, it's virtually impossible to produce stops. That was evident on Sunday, as North Carolina lost the rebounding battle by 22.

Sayon Keita was the Tar Heels' best player, with 12 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks, shooting 5-of-9 from the field. With that being said, North Carolina's center rotation is a major question mark, as Alexandros Samodurov and Cade Bennerman round out the group. Other than Keita, the Tar Heels lack physicality in the paint. Cameron Fens is currently ineligible, but it's obvious that this team needs the seven-foot, 255-pound center this season to solidify the frontcourt rotation.

Offensive Woes

• “Once again, I’ll go back to our inability to rebound, which led to us playing against a set defense a lot, and that’s not how we want to play," Malone said. "So we have to make sure if you’re rebounding, you’re giving yourself a chance to play against somebody in transition."

• "I felt it was another game where turnovers were not where they needed to be," Malone continued. "We had 14 assists, 15 turnovers for 19 points. So, if you couple these 17 points off the glass and you couple the 19 points off turnovers, that’s 36 combined points. You’re not going to beat anybody on the road if you do that."

Failing to compete on the glass may have been the biggest concern emerging from Sunday's loss, but the offensive struggles were the most disappointing. This offseason, Malone and the coaching staff built this roster around the backcourt, with Neoklis Avdalas, Terrence Brown, and Matt Able as the cornerstone pieces. Those additions are supposed to unlock the offensive firepower in 2026.

It goes without saying that wasn't the case on Sunday against Indiana. The Tar Heels shot 22-of-63 from the field, including 7-of-22 from three-point range. Turning the ball over 15 times was also a major factor in the game, as it resulted in nearly 20 points for the Hoosiers. Avdalas and Brown were the two main culprits, combining for seven turnovers. Brown has been the biggest disappointment through the two exhibition games, compiling 12 points while shooting 5-of-14 from the field.