CHAPEL HILL — The best news for UNC basketball in its exhibition game against Charlotte is that the game didn’t count. 

The Tar Heels won 89-82 in overtime against the 49ers, but there were some eye-popping problems before the official start of the 2026-27 season under first-year coach Michael Malone. 

The Tar Heels open the regular season on Monday, Nov. 2, against Western Carolina at the Smith Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on ACC Network.

Here are the top observations from UNC’s final preseason game and the return of former UNC guard Wes Miller, whose Charlotte team pushed the Tar Heels to the limit. 

UNC trailed for most of the game vs Charlotte 

The Tar Heels led for just over 9 minutes and trailed for just over 31 minutes against the 49ers, who controlled most of the game before a final surge from Malone’s squad. 

Turnovers remain an issue for the Tar Heels 

UNC had 14 assists and 14 turnovers, which Charlotte turned into 23 points. It’s a stat that continues to haunt the Tar Heels. 

Rebounding might be the biggest concern for UNC 

For the second game in a row, UNC was outrebounded. The Tar Heels had a 36-40 disadvantage on the boards, with Charlotte snagging 12 offensive rebounds and turning those into 18 second-chance points. 

Charlotte bailed out UNC with technical foul on timeout 

Trailing 76-70 with 2 ½ minutes left, the Tar Heels rallied to force overtime with an 8-2 run. UNC tied it after Charlotte called a timeout on an inbounds pass that resulted in a technical foul, because the 49ers were out of timeouts. 

Terrence Brown showed what he’s capable of as a scorer for UNC 

Utah transfer Terrence Brown struggled in his first two exhibition games as a Tar Heel, but elevated his game against Charlotte. Brown played just over 33 minutes, scoring a game-high 27 points. 

Jaydon Young second-half stretch saved the Tar Heels

Jaydon Young, one of three key returners for UNC, had all 11 of his points in a 17-point stretch to help the Tar Heels get back in the game. 

Neo Avdalas neared triple-double 

Neo Avadalas had 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in another all-around performance for the Tar Heels. 

Alexandros Samodurov played big minutes off the bench 

Alexandros Samodurov had six points and a game-high four steals in just under 16 minutes off the bench. It’s the most comfortable he’s looked as a Tar Heel.

Sayon Keita as a passer, leads UNC in plus-minus stat

Freshman center Sayon Keita had 12 points, but his 3 assists were probably his biggest stat of the night. He had two assists on passes to Jarin Stevenson in the corner for 3-pointers. Keita also led the team with a plus-12 mark in the plus-minus stat. 

Jarin Stevenson, Sayon Keita have to do more as rebounders

Like Keita, Jarin Stevenson had 12 points but the duo struggled to rack up rebounds. They had four rebounds against Charlotte. That can’t happen in the regular season.