University of North Carolina Athletics
Friday, October 9
Greensboro, N.C.
7 p.m.
North Carolina
0-0,0-0ACC
88
vs
70
Southern California (Preseason)
0-0,0-0Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern California | 39 | 31 | 70 |
| North Carolina | 37 | 51 | 88 |
Jarin Stevenson
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Second-Half Defense Drives Men's Basketball Past USC, 88-70
October 9, 2026 | Men's Basketball
GREENSBORO, N.C.— North Carolina used relentless defense to ignite a huge second half and pull away from Southern California, 88-70, in the preseason opener for both teams on Friday night in the First Horizon Coliseum.
After halftime, the Tar Heels pressured USC into missing 15 of its first 20 shots while forcing 10 turnovers. Carolina took control with a 12-0 second-half run and held the Trojans scoreless for almost six minutes. USC shot just 26.5 percent in the final 20 minutes.
The game marked Michael Malone's first public appearance as the Tar Heel head coach after taking the job in April.
"It was really cool to come through that tunnel [in pregame], and I obviously I can't wait for November 2nd, our regular season opener in a real game," Malone said. "I have to give a lot of credit to the fans who came tonight for their first glimpse of watching our team. The reception [from the fans], I don't take that lightly. To have a warm reception, people clapping for you and welcoming you here, that means a lot to me.
"When you haven't coached a game in over a year, the college game is different. The timeouts are different, there are so many different things. I have to give a lot of credit to my staff, because those guys were really, really helpful in helping me navigate along the way."
Jarin Stevenson's double-double included game highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Denis scored 14 points, including 10 with a pair of three-pointers in the first half. Neo Avdalas added 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists before fouling out in the final minute. Freshman Maximo Adams scored 11 with six boards in his Tar Heel debut.
"Jarin Stevenson had a hell of a performance, and being able to play through him late was great to see," said Malone. "Jarin works his butt off, and I'm proud of him."
Carolina took the lead at 56-53 on a three-pointer by Alex Samodurov and led for the final 10:42, outscoring USC 32-17 in that final stretch and 51-31 in the second half.
"The first half, they shot 47 percent, the second half they shot 27 percent," said Malone of his team's defensive effort. "The first half, they had 16 paint points, second half only six points in our paint. At one point, I think we'd gotten seven or eight straight stops, which is something we try to pride ourselves in. We got our defense into the game, and that got us out running, playing with a little bit more of an attack mindset."
The Tar Heel bench outscored the Trojan reserves, 35-5.
After falling behind, 10-3, in the opening minutes, Carolina rode the hot hand of Denis and the gritty energy of Adams to claw back and eventually tie the score at 20-all with under nine minutes left in the half. Denis scored 10 of Carolina's 13 points during one stretch midway through the opening 20 minutes.
The teams traded baskets and the lead for the rest of the half until Carolina went cold late, missing 7 of 8 shots down the stretch before the break until Avdalas' three-point play tied the score at 37 with 38.9 seconds on the clock. USC led, 39-37, at the half after a moving screen by Samodurov on Carolina's final possession. UNC out-rebounded the bigger Trojans, 23-17, and outscored USC, 13-3, off turnovers but shot only 35.5 percent collectively in the half.
Stevenson and Sayon Keita combined to score Carolina's first 10 second-half points, then the Tar Heels ripped off a 12-0 run in 3:27 to take a 61-53 lead and force a Trojan timeout with 9:16 remaining. UNC's defense clamped down and forced seven turnovers in under five minutes to spark the burst, as USC went scoreless for nearly six minutes.
Rodney Rice led USC with 22 points, while Alijah Arenas scored 17. Carolina dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Trojans by a 47-33 margin.
How It Happened
First Half
• After Stevenson's three-pointer to open the game, USC hit three of its first four from long range, jumped out to a 10-3 lead and forced an early UNC timeout.
• The Tar Heels pulled back within a point at 12-11 with an 8-2 run that included five points by Adams and a three by Denis. Carolina tied it at 20-20 with under nine minutes on the clock.
• It was close the rest of the half with four lead changes and neither team leading by more than five in the final 8:56. Despite UNC going over 3:30 without a field goal and missing 7 of 8 after the final media timeout, the Trojans led by just a pair at the break, 39-37.
Second Half
• Stevenson hit back-to-back three-pointers to start the second half, and Keita scored four in a row on a pair of free throws and a follow dunk. After a layup by Stevenson, Carolina took a 49-48 into the under-16:00 timeout.
• The Tar Heels turned it over four times in a span of 4:16 but clung with a bucket at the next timeout as USC missed 12 of its first 17 second-half shots and went scoreless for over four minutes.
• Carolina raced to a 12-0 run in 3:27 to take a 61-53 lead and force a Trojan timeout with 9:16 remaining.
• UNC expanded its lead to 11 at 69-58 with under five minutes to go, playing aggressively offensively while controlling the game with its defense down the stretch.
• USC never got closer than an eight-point deficit in the final five minutes, and Carolina pulled away in the final minutes.
Notes
• Carolina started a lineup of guards Terrence Brown, Matt Able and Avdalas and big men Stevenson and Keita.
• The game is the first of two Tar Heel preseason games this fall against Big Ten opponents. Carolina will face Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday October 18.
• UNC also will play in-state foe Charlotte at home in the Smith Center on October 27 to close the preseason. The 49ers are led by head coach and former Tar Heel guard Wes Miller and assistant coach Marcus Paige, another UNC alum who served for three seasons on former head coach Hubert Davis' staff at Carolina.
Up Next
After a nine-day break to focus on practices and workouts, Carolina will journey to Indianapolis to play Indiana in another preseason contest on October 18. That game will begin at 5 p.m. and will be streamed by B1G+.
Stay up to date on the latest Tar Heel men's basketball news on X at @UNC_Basketball and @UNCMBBstats and on Instagram at UNC_Basketball.
After halftime, the Tar Heels pressured USC into missing 15 of its first 20 shots while forcing 10 turnovers. Carolina took control with a 12-0 second-half run and held the Trojans scoreless for almost six minutes. USC shot just 26.5 percent in the final 20 minutes.
The game marked Michael Malone's first public appearance as the Tar Heel head coach after taking the job in April.
"It was really cool to come through that tunnel [in pregame], and I obviously I can't wait for November 2nd, our regular season opener in a real game," Malone said. "I have to give a lot of credit to the fans who came tonight for their first glimpse of watching our team. The reception [from the fans], I don't take that lightly. To have a warm reception, people clapping for you and welcoming you here, that means a lot to me.
"When you haven't coached a game in over a year, the college game is different. The timeouts are different, there are so many different things. I have to give a lot of credit to my staff, because those guys were really, really helpful in helping me navigate along the way."
Jarin Stevenson's double-double included game highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Denis scored 14 points, including 10 with a pair of three-pointers in the first half. Neo Avdalas added 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists before fouling out in the final minute. Freshman Maximo Adams scored 11 with six boards in his Tar Heel debut.
"Jarin Stevenson had a hell of a performance, and being able to play through him late was great to see," said Malone. "Jarin works his butt off, and I'm proud of him."
Carolina took the lead at 56-53 on a three-pointer by Alex Samodurov and led for the final 10:42, outscoring USC 32-17 in that final stretch and 51-31 in the second half.
"The first half, they shot 47 percent, the second half they shot 27 percent," said Malone of his team's defensive effort. "The first half, they had 16 paint points, second half only six points in our paint. At one point, I think we'd gotten seven or eight straight stops, which is something we try to pride ourselves in. We got our defense into the game, and that got us out running, playing with a little bit more of an attack mindset."
The Tar Heel bench outscored the Trojan reserves, 35-5.
After falling behind, 10-3, in the opening minutes, Carolina rode the hot hand of Denis and the gritty energy of Adams to claw back and eventually tie the score at 20-all with under nine minutes left in the half. Denis scored 10 of Carolina's 13 points during one stretch midway through the opening 20 minutes.
The teams traded baskets and the lead for the rest of the half until Carolina went cold late, missing 7 of 8 shots down the stretch before the break until Avdalas' three-point play tied the score at 37 with 38.9 seconds on the clock. USC led, 39-37, at the half after a moving screen by Samodurov on Carolina's final possession. UNC out-rebounded the bigger Trojans, 23-17, and outscored USC, 13-3, off turnovers but shot only 35.5 percent collectively in the half.
Stevenson and Sayon Keita combined to score Carolina's first 10 second-half points, then the Tar Heels ripped off a 12-0 run in 3:27 to take a 61-53 lead and force a Trojan timeout with 9:16 remaining. UNC's defense clamped down and forced seven turnovers in under five minutes to spark the burst, as USC went scoreless for nearly six minutes.
Rodney Rice led USC with 22 points, while Alijah Arenas scored 17. Carolina dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Trojans by a 47-33 margin.
How It Happened
First Half
• After Stevenson's three-pointer to open the game, USC hit three of its first four from long range, jumped out to a 10-3 lead and forced an early UNC timeout.
• The Tar Heels pulled back within a point at 12-11 with an 8-2 run that included five points by Adams and a three by Denis. Carolina tied it at 20-20 with under nine minutes on the clock.
• It was close the rest of the half with four lead changes and neither team leading by more than five in the final 8:56. Despite UNC going over 3:30 without a field goal and missing 7 of 8 after the final media timeout, the Trojans led by just a pair at the break, 39-37.
Second Half
• Stevenson hit back-to-back three-pointers to start the second half, and Keita scored four in a row on a pair of free throws and a follow dunk. After a layup by Stevenson, Carolina took a 49-48 into the under-16:00 timeout.
• The Tar Heels turned it over four times in a span of 4:16 but clung with a bucket at the next timeout as USC missed 12 of its first 17 second-half shots and went scoreless for over four minutes.
• Carolina raced to a 12-0 run in 3:27 to take a 61-53 lead and force a Trojan timeout with 9:16 remaining.
• UNC expanded its lead to 11 at 69-58 with under five minutes to go, playing aggressively offensively while controlling the game with its defense down the stretch.
• USC never got closer than an eight-point deficit in the final five minutes, and Carolina pulled away in the final minutes.
Notes
• Carolina started a lineup of guards Terrence Brown, Matt Able and Avdalas and big men Stevenson and Keita.
• The game is the first of two Tar Heel preseason games this fall against Big Ten opponents. Carolina will face Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday October 18.
• UNC also will play in-state foe Charlotte at home in the Smith Center on October 27 to close the preseason. The 49ers are led by head coach and former Tar Heel guard Wes Miller and assistant coach Marcus Paige, another UNC alum who served for three seasons on former head coach Hubert Davis' staff at Carolina.
Up Next
After a nine-day break to focus on practices and workouts, Carolina will journey to Indianapolis to play Indiana in another preseason contest on October 18. That game will begin at 5 p.m. and will be streamed by B1G+.
Stay up to date on the latest Tar Heel men's basketball news on X at @UNC_Basketball and @UNCMBBstats and on Instagram at UNC_Basketball.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballTeam Stats
USC
UNC
FG%
.364
.441
3FG%
.333
.355
FT%
.667
.833
RB
33
47
TO
14
18
STL
11
7
Game Leaders
Pts
25
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Saturday, October 10
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Friday, October 09