Michael Malone was in Greensboro on Wednesday as part of the big official announcement regarding the two-year agreement between North Carolina and NC State to play a non-conference game in each of the next two seasons.
The first non-conference tilt between the in-state rivals will be held on December 15, with tickets going on sale for the event on September 10.
Yes, this news is significant. With the new scheduling format that the ACC follows, fans get robbed of two meetings between the two programs each season, as fans lost the opportunity to boo Ven-Allen Lubin during the 2025-2026 campaign.
However, the biggest bit of news has nothing to do with this announcement, as Michael Malone dropped a major news bomb on us all.
Michael Malone gives Tar Heel fans the update they've been waiting on
The head coach of the Tar Heels spent some time talking to the media about the non-conference agreement with NC State, but also was asked a handful of questions regarding other topics.
One of the major topics addressed was the eligibility status of both Sayon Keita and Alexandros Samodurov, international prospects who both played professionally overseas.
While fans had a bit of nerves following what went down with Luka Bogavac a year ago, Malone was here to calm everyone's anxiety, providing a clutch update on both players.
According to Malone, both players are fully cleared.
Per Mike Malone Alexandros Samodurov and Sayon Keita are fully cleared. 🐏 🏀 pic.twitter.com/w0Dcv459Dl
— Jay (@Jayy_Hardyy252) August 19, 2026
"As far as I’m aware, they’re both clear, they’re in class, they're in the workouts, and I think everything’s a go.”
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To go along with that update from Malone, Tar Heel 247 added that Samodurov will be considered a junior, having three seasons of eligibility to work with. Keita, who turned 18 in March, should be a freshman by age but his years of professional experience in Spain might change that.
Regardless, the main thing is that both players are fully cleared, making them both eligibile when the 2026-2027 season tips off officially on November 2.
While it always has been expected that both players would be cleared, you just never know with the NCAA. Look at how long the Bogavac situation dragged out: he literally was cleared to play about a half hour before the season opener!
Maybe UNC learned from that in these cases, but it seems like everything has been sorted out already with time to spare.
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Let's face it: Malone wouldn't have provided that context if there were still doubts about both players' eligibility. The university must have been made aware of their clearance, which allowed Malone to open up about the situation. If anyone would know the latest update it would be the head coach of the Tar Heels, the guy who helped bring both international prospects to Chapel Hill.
If you were already worried about these situations, you can now breathe a sigh of relief. From what Malone has informed us, his duo of international big men are full go as the Tar Heels ramp up for the start of the upcoming season.
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