Indiana basketball identity seen in roster that ‘manhandled’ a blue blood prepared to stop it

BLOOMINGTON — First-year North Carolina coach Michael Malone spent much of his postgame news conference Sunday lamenting what his Tar Heels did not do, in their heavy exhibition loss to Indiana.

Did not get out and run, against a team with concerns defending in transition. Did not take advantage of defensive success, holding the Hoosiers to 36.2% from the floor, in a 76-58 IU win. Did not reach back for the emphases Malone and his staff drove into the plan for Sunday’s exhibition.

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All that did not do, tracing back to one root cause.

“Just to be manhandled, to be outworked on the glass, was disappointing,” Malone said. “That’s on everybody, to make sure we’re rebounding. We did a really poor job of that.”

If IU coach Darian DeVries has his way, Malone’s Tar Heels won’t be the first team to swallow that difficult lesson this winter. Sunday’s win offered a firm reminder of the power of size, for a program efforting to embrace it.

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Indiana basketball hosts North Carolina in exhibition game

North Carolina Tar Heels center Sayon Keita (21) attempts a dunk Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, during the first half of an exhibition game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

(Grace Smith/IndyStar)

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Indiana basketball hosts North Carolina in exhibition game

North Carolina Tar Heels center Sayon Keita (21) attempts a dunk Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, during the first half of an exhibition game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

(Grace Smith/IndyStar)

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Indiana basketball hosts North Carolina in exhibition game

North Carolina Tar Heels guard Terrence Brown (1) goes up for a basket Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, during the first half of an exhibition game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

(Grace Smith/IndyStar)

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Indiana basketball hosts North Carolina in exhibition game

Indiana Hoosiers forward Aiden Sherrell (22) rebounds the ball against North Carolina Tar Heels center Sayon Keita (21) on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, during the first half of an exhibition game at Gainbridge…

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Publish date : 2026-10-21 08:41:00

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