Indiana fans got a first look at the 2026-27 men’s basketball squad in the Hoosiers’ first exhibition game of the season last week. The Cream and Crimson earned an 96-68 victory over Butler University on Oct.11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to open preseason play.
The exhibition game gave the Hoosiers a chance to deal with a rowdy environment and play through a close first half, exactly the type of game Indiana wanted in its preseason.
“We wanted to be in that atmosphere,” Indiana head coach Darian DeVries said postgame. “We wanted to have a true road game. It was a chance for us to see how we would react to adversity.”
Now, the Hoosiers will have another opportunity to grow as a team in its preseason with a matchup against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at 5 p.m. Sunday inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Meet the Tar Heels
First-year head coach Michael Malone coaches North Carolina, after Malone spent 24 years coaching in the NBA, 12 as a head coach.
Malone put together a 16-player roster that includes five returners and 11 newcomers. North Carolina’s newcomers include four freshmen, six collegiate transfers and one international player.
The Tar Heels’ matchup with the Hoosiers will mark their second preseason outing of the season as well after facing off against USC on Oct. 9, defeating the Trojans 88-70.
Like Indiana’s contest with Butler, the Tar Heels fought through a close first half and eventually pulled away in the second.
Jarin Stevenson led North Carolina with 25 points and 10 rebounds against USC. The 6-foot-10 senior forward returns for his second season with the Tar Heels as the leading returner in scoring, rebounds and three-pointers. Last year, Stevenson started in 25 of his 33 appearances and averaged 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Last season, North Carolina finished 24-9 overall and 12-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tar Heels earned a six-seed in the NCAA Tournament but were defeated in the first round by 11-seed Virginia Commonwealth University.
The preseason poll selected by media who attended the conference’s media days Oct. 6 and 7 ranked North Carolina fifth in the conference. Indiana leads the all-time series between the programs 10-6. The Hoosiers and Tar Heels last met in Bloomington in November 2022 when Indiana defeated North Carolina 77-65.
Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. Sunday inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Streaming will be available on Big Ten+.
Follow reporters Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki87731 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) and columnist Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
