North Carolina’s first public game under Michael Malone turned on a six-minute defensive squeeze. After trailing USC 53-49 in the second half, the Tar Heels scored 12 straight points, held the Trojans scoreless for nearly six minutes and pulled away for an 88-70 exhibition win Friday in Greensboro.
The comeback offered an early glimpse of Malone’s priorities: pressure the ball, force mistakes and turn stops into offense. USC shot 27% after halftime, and its 31 second-half points came after it had taken a 39-37 lead into the break. The result was a sharp change of direction in Malone’s first game on the sideline—not a regular-season result, but a revealing opening test.
Jarin Stevenson supplied the biggest individual performance, finishing with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Denis added 14 points, freshman Maximo Adams had 11, and Neo Avdalas finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists. North Carolina outscored USC’s reserves 35-5, useful depth on a night its starting backcourt had a quiet start.
That backcourt is one reason the exhibition offered more questions than conclusions. Terrence Brown and Matt Able combined for five points, while UNC committed 18 turnovers. The Tar Heels recovered with defense and production from the bench, but Malone has another exhibition against Indiana on Oct. 18 to keep sorting out the rotation before the Nov. 2 opener.
USC had three players unavailable, according to local reporting, and Rodney Rice led the Trojans with 22 points while Alijah Arenas scored 17. The loss is a first data point, not a verdict on either team. Still, North Carolina showed it can change a game with stops—and also exposed areas Malone will need to address before the games count.
