UNC has announced tip times and broadcast information for all three preseason games as Michael Malone’s Tar Heels prepare to face USC, Indiana and Charlotte before opening the 2026-27 regular season.
North Carolina basketball fans can officially start setting their calendars for the first look at the Michael Malone era.
UNC announced Thursday the start times and television information for all three of its 2026 preseason contests, beginning with a marquee matchup against USC just over two weeks from now. The Tar Heels will also face Indiana in Indianapolis before wrapping up the preseason at home against Charlotte.
Carolina’s preseason opener against Southern California will tip at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, October 9, at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. The game will be televised nationally on ACC Network.
That matchup will provide the first game action of Malone’s tenure as UNC’s head coach and the first opportunity for Tar Heel fans to see his completely rebuilt roster against another opponent.
Nine days later, Carolina will travel to Indianapolis to face Indiana on Sunday, October 18, at 5 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and WNBA’s Indiana Fever. Television and streaming information for the matchup has yet to be determined, but the game *will* be televised.
The Tar Heels will then return to Chapel Hill for their third and final preseason contest, hosting Charlotte on Tuesday, October 27, at 7:30 p.m. ET in the Dean E. Smith Center. That game will be available via ACC Network Extra.
The three-game preseason slate gives Malone and his staff three distinctly different opportunities to evaluate the roster before the results begin counting. USC provides the opening test on a neutral floor, Indiana gives Carolina another neutral-site matchup against a major-conference opponent, and Charlotte allows the Tar Heels to get game experience inside the Smith Center.
Preseason practice officially began this week in Chapel Hill, making Thursday’s announcement another sign that basketball season is quickly approaching.
There will be plenty for Malone and his staff to sort through during those three games. Carolina enters the season with a roster featuring only one returning starter, Jarin Stevenson, alongside a collection of transfers, freshmen and international additions. The exhibitions should give the coaching staff an opportunity to experiment with rotations, lineup combinations and roles before settling into the regular season.
And unlike a traditional exhibition against an overmatched opponent, the USC and Indiana games in particular should provide legitimate tests before November arrives.
Once the preseason concludes against Charlotte, Carolina will have just six days to prepare for the games that count.
The Tar Heels officially open the 2026-27 regular season on Monday, November 2, against Western Carolina at the Smith Center.
Before then, though, Tar Heel fans will get three chances to see the new-look program take shape — and now they know exactly when to tune in.
Preseason schedule
Oct. 9 | vs. USC | 7 p.m. ET | First Horizon Coliseum | Greensboro, NC | ACC Network
Oct. 18 | vs. Indiana | 5 p.m. ET | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Indianapolis, IN | TV/streaming TBD
Oct. 27 | vs. Charlotte | 7:30 p.m. ET | Smith Center | Chapel Hill, NC | ACC Network Extra
