University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
November 3, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Carolina began a new era on Monday.
By Adam Lucas
He had done this before.
Roy Williams walked to midcourt with athletic director Steve Newmark to present Monday night's game ball to Michael Malone after Carolina's 80-72 win over Western Carolina.
It should have been a familiar feeling. Twenty-three years ago, Williams was capturing his first win as the Tar Heel head coach, a 90-64 rout of Old Dominion. That victory was very much about the new coach, about getting accustomed to seeing him on the sidelines and wondering what he might accomplish in Chapel Hill (the answer: three national championships and one of the greatest eras in the history of UNC basketball).
Starting over was different then. The new coach had a boatload of returning players, including standouts like Raymond Felton, Jawad Williams and Sean May. Jackie had a posse. David Noel was better known as a wide receiver.
Malone didn't inherit quite the same roster when he accepted the job this spring. In this era, the coach and most of the roster are new together. They looked like it for part of Monday night. Western Carolina had multiple chances to take the lead in the second half of the game, including missing an open layup in a one-point contest and trying a high-risk lob in the same situation a minute later.
"One thing I told our guys is that right now we're a team that takes two steps forward and three steps back," Malone said after the win. "We can't sustain anything. We have really good stretches, but we're unable to sustain it for long stretches, and we have to find a way to build those habits where we can start putting longer stretches together."
Monday was probably the last game this season in which the primary storyline is curiosity about Malone. Starting as soon as Friday against Wofford, it's much more about how they actually play and the results earned by that play rather than wondering how they will play.
Carolina basketball fans are well aware that putting too much weight on a season opener in a very long season can be silly. The 2019 team squeezed by Wofford and went 16-2 in the ACC. The 2008 team trailed Steph Curry-led Davidson for most of the second half and ultimately won by just four in a game in which Tyler Hansbrough got only one field goal attempt in the second half…those Tar Heels eventually went to the Final Four and Hansbrough won multiple National Player of the Year awards. The 2006 team needed a late basket to beat Gardner-Webb by three points and ultimately became one of the most fun Carolina teams of this century to watch.
But it's also true that in this new era of college basketball, we've had the chance to see Carolina in three exhibition games prior to the first regular season matchup. And some of the same problems—most notably, lack of rebounding and sporadic offense—have been present in most of those games.
Some of those issues would be partially fixed by the eligibility of Cameron Fens, who continues to await clearance. But it's wrong to assume he would immediately solve everything. As Malone said, the biggest challenge right now is building the type of habits that will lead to more consistent play.
And at Carolina, there's always an extra layer of work. That's why it's one of the most sought-after jobs in the country but also why it's one of the most difficult jobs in the country. It's not solely coaching the team. It's finding a way to coach the 2026 team while also being part of something that goes back almost 75 years before you to the 1957 team. It's being comfortable enough to know that sharing the moment of your first college win with a beloved Hall of Fame head coach is part of what makes Carolina unique. There are coaches who would be unsettled by sharing that spotlight. Malone, in contrast, has regularly lavished praise on Williams and also made efforts to talk about the entire current coaching staff rather than just himself individually. One of the three core words the new coach had installed in big letters outside the Tar Heel locker room is "selfless." He's trying to live it by example.
Terrence Brown was playing his first regular season game for the Tar Heels and was standing right there when Malone accepted the game ball from Roy Williams. He burst into a giant smile and wrapped Malone in a hug.
"Coming from where I come from, I haven't been around so many greats in my life," Brown said. "I'm learning from everybody…I'm super blessed to be a Tar Heel and be around all these fans and these greats who have come here. I want to be the next person who does that."
Monday's win was, perhaps, not all that great. The next six months will determine how much relevance we assign to this particular beginning.
He had done this before.
Roy Williams walked to midcourt with athletic director Steve Newmark to present Monday night's game ball to Michael Malone after Carolina's 80-72 win over Western Carolina.
It should have been a familiar feeling. Twenty-three years ago, Williams was capturing his first win as the Tar Heel head coach, a 90-64 rout of Old Dominion. That victory was very much about the new coach, about getting accustomed to seeing him on the sidelines and wondering what he might accomplish in Chapel Hill (the answer: three national championships and one of the greatest eras in the history of UNC basketball).
Starting over was different then. The new coach had a boatload of returning players, including standouts like Raymond Felton, Jawad Williams and Sean May. Jackie had a posse. David Noel was better known as a wide receiver.
Malone didn't inherit quite the same roster when he accepted the job this spring. In this era, the coach and most of the roster are new together. They looked like it for part of Monday night. Western Carolina had multiple chances to take the lead in the second half of the game, including missing an open layup in a one-point contest and trying a high-risk lob in the same situation a minute later.
"One thing I told our guys is that right now we're a team that takes two steps forward and three steps back," Malone said after the win. "We can't sustain anything. We have really good stretches, but we're unable to sustain it for long stretches, and we have to find a way to build those habits where we can start putting longer stretches together."
Monday was probably the last game this season in which the primary storyline is curiosity about Malone. Starting as soon as Friday against Wofford, it's much more about how they actually play and the results earned by that play rather than wondering how they will play.
Carolina basketball fans are well aware that putting too much weight on a season opener in a very long season can be silly. The 2019 team squeezed by Wofford and went 16-2 in the ACC. The 2008 team trailed Steph Curry-led Davidson for most of the second half and ultimately won by just four in a game in which Tyler Hansbrough got only one field goal attempt in the second half…those Tar Heels eventually went to the Final Four and Hansbrough won multiple National Player of the Year awards. The 2006 team needed a late basket to beat Gardner-Webb by three points and ultimately became one of the most fun Carolina teams of this century to watch.
But it's also true that in this new era of college basketball, we've had the chance to see Carolina in three exhibition games prior to the first regular season matchup. And some of the same problems—most notably, lack of rebounding and sporadic offense—have been present in most of those games.
Some of those issues would be partially fixed by the eligibility of Cameron Fens, who continues to await clearance. But it's wrong to assume he would immediately solve everything. As Malone said, the biggest challenge right now is building the type of habits that will lead to more consistent play.
And at Carolina, there's always an extra layer of work. That's why it's one of the most sought-after jobs in the country but also why it's one of the most difficult jobs in the country. It's not solely coaching the team. It's finding a way to coach the 2026 team while also being part of something that goes back almost 75 years before you to the 1957 team. It's being comfortable enough to know that sharing the moment of your first college win with a beloved Hall of Fame head coach is part of what makes Carolina unique. There are coaches who would be unsettled by sharing that spotlight. Malone, in contrast, has regularly lavished praise on Williams and also made efforts to talk about the entire current coaching staff rather than just himself individually. One of the three core words the new coach had installed in big letters outside the Tar Heel locker room is "selfless." He's trying to live it by example.
Terrence Brown was playing his first regular season game for the Tar Heels and was standing right there when Malone accepted the game ball from Roy Williams. He burst into a giant smile and wrapped Malone in a hug.
"Coming from where I come from, I haven't been around so many greats in my life," Brown said. "I'm learning from everybody…I'm super blessed to be a Tar Heel and be around all these fans and these greats who have come here. I want to be the next person who does that."
Monday's win was, perhaps, not all that great. The next six months will determine how much relevance we assign to this particular beginning.
Players Mentioned
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