There was no sugarcoating this one from Michael Malone.
No excuses or searching for moral victories, and especially no Hubert Davis-esque "I'm so proud of this team" quotes.
"We got our butts kicked."
North Carolina coach Michael Malone: "We got our butts kicked."
— Michael Niziolek (@michaelniziolek) October 18, 2026
That was Malone's blunt assessment after the Tar Heels' rough showing against the Hoosiers, and frankly, there wasn't much else that needed to be said.
UNC entered the exhibition looking to take another step forward in its preseason development. Instead, Malone and his staff got a firsthand look at just how much work remains before the games begin to count.
The way Indiana beat UNC was particularly frustrating for Michael Malone
Losing an exhibition game won't count in the standings and hopefully won't define the upcoming season. Preseason games are meant to give coaches and teams a better sense of where they stand before the season, giving them time to work out the kinks before games start to count.
However, one aspect of UNC's performance clearly didn't sit well with the first-year Tar Heels head coach.
UNC head coach Michael Malone: "To be manhandled like that on the boards, when it was a point of emphasis coming in, was pretty disappointing."#iubb
— Alec Lasley (@allasley) October 18, 2026
"To be manhandled like that on the boards, when it was a point of emphasis coming in, was pretty disappointing."
That's the part that should concern Malone.
It would be one thing if Indiana exposed something the Tar Heels weren't prepared for. Instead, Malone acknowledged that rebounding was specifically emphasized going into the matchup, and the Tar Heels still couldn't get the job done.
For a team that wants to establish a physical identity under Malone, getting "manhandled" on the glass isn't going to cut it.
Getting outrebounded 53-31 is quite a pathetic effort on the glass if we're being completely honest.
Malone has repeatedly discussed using UNC's three exhibition games to learn more about his team, experiment with different things, and identify areas to clean up before the regular season begins.
Well, Indiana gave him and his staff plenty to clean up over the next two weeks.
Sometimes a preseason wake-up call can be exactly what a team needs. The one Indiana gave North Carolina could be what this new-look group needs, showing them firsthand that their Sunday night effort won't cut it.
Now, after getting their "butts kicked," we'll wait and see how this group responds to the challenge.
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