After an impressive win in their opening exhibition game, the North Carolina Tar Heels fell flat in a 76-58 loss against the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday.
It goes without saying that the result was disappointing for the Tar Heels. It was also a humbling and disheartening loss for head coach Michael Malone and his team. With that in mind, here's what went wrong for the Tar Heels and contributed to the blowout loss.
Struggles on the Boards
The main criticism of this roster has been the frontcourt rotation, specifically at center. Sayon Keita was North Carolina's best player on Sunday, recording 12 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks, while shooting 5-of-9 from the field. That said, the Tar Heels' lack of experience and physicality at center, with Keita and Alexandros Samodurov, led to them being dominated on the boards, losing 53-31.
That culminated in Indiana's lead steadily ballooning because of second-chance points. Malone wants the offense to be an extension of the defense. For that to happen, North Carolina must cement defensive stops with rebounds. That clearly wasn't the case in this game.
Turnovers
In 2025, the Tar Heels struggled with turnovers because their backcourt lacked a true point guard. Malone and his staff reconstructed the roster, with guard play as the focal point. Despite having three capable starting guards and multiple other options off the bench, North Carolina had 15 turnovers, which led to 19 points for Indiana.
When a team gives up that many additional possessions because of careless passes and playing out of control, it's virtually impossible to win.
Inefficient Shooting
Indiana's size in the paint and perimeter not only affected the rebounding battle but also North Carolina's offense. The Tar Heels shot 22-of-63 from the field (34.9 percent), including 7-of-22 from three-point range (31.8 percent). Again, this team is built around the guards and wings, so you expect scoring to come with ease. It didn't help matters that Terrence Brown, Neoklis Avdalas, and Jarin Stevenson went a combined 7-of-27 from the field.
In the two exhibition games, Brown has been by far North Carolina's biggest disappointment. The Utah transfer averaged 19.9 points per game last season. Through two preseason games, albeit a small sample size, Brown has totaled 12 points, five assists, and four rebounds, while shooting 5-of-14 from the field. This isn't a suggestion to sound the alarm, but North Carolina's offense hasn't been as advertised. Yes, it plays fast, but that hasn't led to efficient production.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/unc as What Went Wrong for UNC in Exhibition Loss to Indiana.