Michael Malone used 24 different UNC lineups against USC and one adjustment stood out

If you were trying to keep up with every lineup Michael Malone put on the floor against USC, hopefully you had a spreadsheet handy.

We did. And it got quite a workout!

North Carolina used 24 different five-man combinations during its exhibition matchup, giving fans their first look at how Malone might piece together this roster. Some groups lasted only a few seconds. Others received longer stretches, and a select few earned another appearance.

An exhibition won’t settle every rotation question. But tracking those combinations offers a closer look at where Malone started, which adjustment he revisited, and just how much experimenting took place over 40 minutes.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, here's a breakdown of how it all shaped out on Friday night:

As expected, the starting five received the longest look

Malone opened with Terrence Brown, Matt Able, Neo Avdalas, Jarin Stevenson, and Sayon Keita, then sent that same group out to begin the second half. Together, those five logged 7:24, the most any UNC combination has used (and even that wasn't much for a 40-minute game!).

That doesn’t guarantee these five will open every game moving forward. However, on a night featuring so many different combinations, returning to the same group after halftime provided a clear starting point for Malone’s evaluation.

The more interesting wrinkle came with his first trip to the bench.

Maximo Adams got the first call and Malone kept calling his number

At the 17:02 mark of the first half, Maximo Adams, a true freshman, joined the starting lineup, replacing Keita.

That combination ended up being North Carolina’s second-most-used lineup, totaling 5:16 across three separate stints. All three appearances came before halftime. It was also the only five-man group Malone used three times.

The appeal of that lineup is easy to see, especially in how Adams performed from the moment he stepped into the game. Adding Adams to the lineup gives North Carolina another versatile forward, as he showed during his unofficial debut as a Tar Heel.

Of the 24 combinations used against USC, only this group and the starting five received repeat appearances. That makes the Adams variation worth watching as the exhibition schedule continues.

Adams' usage, especially across different personnel sets, was the night's most interesting rotation storyline.

Jarin Stevenson was the constant amid the changes

The personnel around him changed throughout the night, but Stevenson remained a fixture.

Stevenson, who recorded 25 points and 10 rebounds (his first career double-double), logged 30:47, the most of any Tar Heel. He appeared in 21 of the 27 lineups, an unsurprising reminder that he'll be called upon heavily this season in a variety of roles.

Stevenson played alongside Keita, shared the floor with Alex Samodurov, and spent 10:57 in groups featuring neither of those two players. That gave Malone chances to evaluate him in several frontcourt configurations, especially without Cameron Fens, who is still considered ineligible.

His presence in both of the most-used lineups also connected the starting group to the smaller Adams variation.

One exhibition provided plenty to evaluate

For fans wondering how broadly Malone would explore his options, the 20+ lineups he experimented with on Friday night offered an answer to that question.

Isaiah Denis, who couldn't get off the bench under the old regime, received a substantial look, logging 20:20 across 15 stints. He appeared with bench units and in several combinations featuring members of the starting five, and he was arguably the Tar Heels' second-best player behind Stevenson that night.

As the game went on, you would think UNC would've shortened up on different lineup usage. However, Malone experimented even more in the second half, and fans saw 15 different lineup variations in the final 20 minutes (compared to 11 in the first half).

That’s a lot of different looks, which is good for the coaching staff to see in real-game action.

Of course, it's important to realize that these are all short stints. In a typical game, your starters are going to log a lot more minutes together than they did in this exhibition game. However, what is good to see is that Malone isn't afraid to use his bench and provide guys with an opportunity to showcase their talents, giving them the chance to earn meaningful minutes when the regular season gets underway in essentially three weeks.

While the Tar Heels might not experiment as much in the final two preseason games, it's good to see they have plenty of options.

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