University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: Indiana Rapid Reactions
October 18, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from the exhibition against Indiana.
By Adam Lucas
1. Indiana overpowered Carolina on the way to an 76-58 exhibition victory in Indianapolis.
2. On paper, it looked like Indiana's size would be a difficult matchup for the Tar Heels. This time, paper was correct. The Hoosiers held an overwhelming 53-31 rebounding edge and controlled every aspect of the game that happened around the rim. Carolina went over 20 minutes of game action without attempting a free throw, illustrating how little it was able to attack.
3. In a game when Indiana's inside power was important, you might have expected freshman Sayon Keita to have a tough day. It was the exact opposite. Keita competed the entire night and was perhaps Carolina's most consistently involved player. The rookie finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in 27 minutes of action. Indiana eventually became very aware of him, and he altered some shots that he didn't block.
4. Instead, the issue was that there were no reinforcements for Keita. With Cameron Fens not eligible, the Heels simply didn't have enough post depth. Alex Samodurov was mostly ineffective in his 13 minutes, and Jarin Stevenson had issues most of the night with Aiden Sherrell and finished with three points and three rebounds.
5. The other Tar Heel who provided a little support for Keita was Matt Able, who hit three three-pointers and finished with 11 points. With four boards, Able also finished second on the team in rebounding. Jaydon Young scored 10 to become the only other Heel in double figures.
6. This was a game in which Indiana did most everything better than Carolina. The Heels didn't shoot well from any distance (35 percent from the field, 32 percent from three, 54 percent from the free throw line), didn't rebound, didn't convert the rare IU miscues into offense (just nine points off 15 turnovers), never appeared to have much flow on offense, and watched Bryce Lindsay torch them for 26 points off the bench on 8-for-14 shooting. The best thing about this game: it's an exhibition and it doesn't count.
7. We still have yet to see the full roster as Michael Malone intended it. Carolina played without Isaiah Denis on Sunday, changing the guard rotation. And the Tar Heels continue to be without Fens, who would be an asset in the post and is still awaiting NCAA clearance. The version of Denis who played against USC would have been an asset in this game both offensively and defensively.
8. Indicative of a first half that had very little rhythm, Carolina burned three timeouts in the first 20 minutes. Two of them came late in the half within eight seconds of each other, as the Heels came out of a stoppage called by Malone and then saw Neo Avdalas use another one. It simply wasn't a half where the Heels seemed to be on the same page.
9. Part of the first half struggles were due to Indiana's imposing size, where Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu helped the Hoosiers to a 27-14 edge on the glass at the break. In fact, Indiana had almost as many offensive rebounds (11) as Carolina had total rebounds (14). As you would expect, that big edge on the offensive boards translated to a 10-0 edge in second chance points in the first half. The eventual second chance advantage for the Hoosiers was 17-7.
10. Carolina's two primary ball-handlers, Terrence Brown and Avdalas, finished with seven turnovers and six assists while shooting 6-for-20.
11. Walking around Indianapolis Sunday afternoon, there were some noticeably confused Indiana fans, who reasonably assumed they'd dominate the crowd just an hour from Bloomington. They might have underestimated how well Tar Heel fans travel. "Where did all these Carolina fans come from?" one Hoosier asked outside of St. Elmo Steakhouse a couple hours before tipoff.
12. This game was, of course, an exhibition. But the outcome continues Carolina's struggles in Indianapolis, where it hasn't won in the program's history. The Final Four returns to the city in 2029.
13. Carolina now has over a week to get ready for the final exhibition of the preseason, an Oct. 27 date with Wes Miller's Charlotte team at the Smith Center.
1. Indiana overpowered Carolina on the way to an 76-58 exhibition victory in Indianapolis.
2. On paper, it looked like Indiana's size would be a difficult matchup for the Tar Heels. This time, paper was correct. The Hoosiers held an overwhelming 53-31 rebounding edge and controlled every aspect of the game that happened around the rim. Carolina went over 20 minutes of game action without attempting a free throw, illustrating how little it was able to attack.
3. In a game when Indiana's inside power was important, you might have expected freshman Sayon Keita to have a tough day. It was the exact opposite. Keita competed the entire night and was perhaps Carolina's most consistently involved player. The rookie finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in 27 minutes of action. Indiana eventually became very aware of him, and he altered some shots that he didn't block.
4. Instead, the issue was that there were no reinforcements for Keita. With Cameron Fens not eligible, the Heels simply didn't have enough post depth. Alex Samodurov was mostly ineffective in his 13 minutes, and Jarin Stevenson had issues most of the night with Aiden Sherrell and finished with three points and three rebounds.
5. The other Tar Heel who provided a little support for Keita was Matt Able, who hit three three-pointers and finished with 11 points. With four boards, Able also finished second on the team in rebounding. Jaydon Young scored 10 to become the only other Heel in double figures.
6. This was a game in which Indiana did most everything better than Carolina. The Heels didn't shoot well from any distance (35 percent from the field, 32 percent from three, 54 percent from the free throw line), didn't rebound, didn't convert the rare IU miscues into offense (just nine points off 15 turnovers), never appeared to have much flow on offense, and watched Bryce Lindsay torch them for 26 points off the bench on 8-for-14 shooting. The best thing about this game: it's an exhibition and it doesn't count.
7. We still have yet to see the full roster as Michael Malone intended it. Carolina played without Isaiah Denis on Sunday, changing the guard rotation. And the Tar Heels continue to be without Fens, who would be an asset in the post and is still awaiting NCAA clearance. The version of Denis who played against USC would have been an asset in this game both offensively and defensively.
8. Indicative of a first half that had very little rhythm, Carolina burned three timeouts in the first 20 minutes. Two of them came late in the half within eight seconds of each other, as the Heels came out of a stoppage called by Malone and then saw Neo Avdalas use another one. It simply wasn't a half where the Heels seemed to be on the same page.
9. Part of the first half struggles were due to Indiana's imposing size, where Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu helped the Hoosiers to a 27-14 edge on the glass at the break. In fact, Indiana had almost as many offensive rebounds (11) as Carolina had total rebounds (14). As you would expect, that big edge on the offensive boards translated to a 10-0 edge in second chance points in the first half. The eventual second chance advantage for the Hoosiers was 17-7.
10. Carolina's two primary ball-handlers, Terrence Brown and Avdalas, finished with seven turnovers and six assists while shooting 6-for-20.
11. Walking around Indianapolis Sunday afternoon, there were some noticeably confused Indiana fans, who reasonably assumed they'd dominate the crowd just an hour from Bloomington. They might have underestimated how well Tar Heel fans travel. "Where did all these Carolina fans come from?" one Hoosier asked outside of St. Elmo Steakhouse a couple hours before tipoff.
12. This game was, of course, an exhibition. But the outcome continues Carolina's struggles in Indianapolis, where it hasn't won in the program's history. The Final Four returns to the city in 2029.
13. Carolina now has over a week to get ready for the final exhibition of the preseason, an Oct. 27 date with Wes Miller's Charlotte team at the Smith Center.
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