The preseason is officially over.
So, it's very fair to ask: how are Tar Heel fans feeling ahead of the start of the 2026-2027 season?
If the answer is slightly concerned, that's probably fair.
The Tar Heels concluded Michael Malone's first preseason at the helm with a 2-1 record, defeating USC and Charlotte while suffering a rather convincing loss to Indiana.
There were encouraging moments mixed with ones that concerned us all quite a bit, making us wonder what exactly this team is going to look like once the games actually start to count.
The Tar Heels opened the preseason with an impressive 88-70 win over USC, got bullied by Indiana, and then, in the Smith Center, needed overtime (and a major timeout blunder) to escape Charlotte, 89-82.
That's quite the three-game sample.
So, with Western Carolina coming to Chapel Hill on Monday night for the regular-season opener, there's really only one question left to ask:
Should Tar Heel fans be panicking?
The answer to that question is not yet.
However, that doesn't mean there aren't legitimate reasons to be concerned.
Yes, there are some legitimate concerns with this UNC team
Let's start with the most obvious one.
Rebounding. Do we even need to say more?
Indiana absolutely dominated the glass, outrebounding them 53-31 overall and 20-10 on the offensive boards. The Hoosiers turned those extra opportunities into a 17-7 second-chance-point advantage.
Malone didn't hide his frustration afterward, either.
That performance could've been dismissed as one really bad afternoon against a physical opponent.
Then Charlotte came to Chapel Hill.
The 49ers outrebounded North Carolina 36-30 and scored 18 second-chance points.
One game could be looked at as a fluke. Multiple games of the same issue start to become a trend.
For a program that has historically prided itself on controlling the glass, getting outrebounded in consecutive exhibitions, including at home against Charlotte, isn't something that should be brushed aside as if the games didn't count.
The defense also has plenty of work to do.
Charlotte shot 47.5 percent from the field and connected on 54.5 percent of its attempts after halftime. The 49ers led by as many as 15 points and were still in position to win in the closing seconds, before a costly technical foul helped UNC force overtime.
That's not exactly how anyone envisioned the final dress rehearsal going.
Offensively, we've seen stretches where the Tar Heels couldn't buy a basket. Shooting below 40% from the floor won't cut it on any given night, especially when you're playing against a very good program such as Indiana.
On Tuesday night, we almost needed a rim check to ensure that there wasn't a cover on the basket. That's how bad UNC shot the ball to start the game.
Missing eight of your first 10 shots while digging a 25-10 deficit isn't ideal by any standard.
No offense to Charlotte at all, who will win a lot of games this season, but UNC won't be able to dig itself out of ruts like the one they made against the 49ers once the schedule starts to toughen up throughout the regular season.
A short answer is yes: there are concerns about this UNC team heading into the start of the regular season. Pretending otherwise would ignore what we've seen over the last three games.
However...
No, it is NOT time to panic
Here's the other side of this conversation.
They're exhibition games. It's not an excuse for playing poorly, but it matters.
Malone wasn't trying to have his team playing its best basketball in early October. These games were meant to expose weaknesses, test different combinations, and give a roster full of new faces a chance to learn how to play together.
Mission accomplished.
If Malone wanted to learn what his team needed to fix before the regular season began, Indiana and Charlotte certainly gave him plenty of film to work with.
And it's not as if everything we've seen has been negative.
Jarin Stevenson looked like the best player on the floor against USC. Sayon Keita responded to Indiana's physicality with a near double-double outing, a huge step in the right direction for the freshman big man.
Neo Avdalas has consistently demonstrated his versatility and ability to impact games in multiple ways. Jaydon Young has provided some really encouraging minutes off the bench.
Terrence Brown finally looked like the player North Carolina expected when it added him, exploding for 27 points against Charlotte after two relatively quiet first two exhibition games.
We could go on about the flashes of potential this group has shown.
Let's face it: the Charlotte game was a very good learning experience.
North Carolina was awful early. Did the Tar Heels take Charlotte lightly, or was this just another bump in the road for a team that is still working to gel together?
The Tar Heels trailed by 15, couldn't defend consistently, got beaten on the glass, and found themselves in legitimate danger of losing their final exhibition at home.
And yet, they still found a way to win.
North Carolina held Charlotte scoreless over the final 3:41 of overtime and forced the 49ers to miss their final seven shots. When the game was there to be won, the Tar Heels finally played their best basketball of the night.
Was it pretty? Heck no!
But learning how your team responds when things aren't going well isn't exactly useless information in October.
North Carolina hasn't exactly been at full strength, either
Let's remember: UNC hasn't been at full strength yet.
Isaiah Denis missed the Indiana game, Matt Able was sidelined for the Charlotte exhibition.
Don't even get us going on the continued eligibility saga for Cameron Fens.
Sure, missing some guys doesn't erase any of the issues UNC displayed.
However, it makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about what this team will ultimately become.
This is a new coaching staff implementing a new system, with a roster largely constructed during the offseason. It was never going to look perfect immediately.
The important question is whether the mistakes we're seeing in October are still happening in December, January, and February.
That's when concern becomes something more significant.
The answer lies somewhere between panic and patience
If you're completely unconcerned by what the UNC basketball program showed this preseason, you probably weren't paying close enough attention.
Some areas need improvement, and they need to improve quickly, given the level of competition awaiting North Carolina on its schedule.
But if you've already decided this team isn't any good because it got smacked by Indiana and needed overtime to beat Charlotte, you're probably overreacting, too.
This is exactly why Malone wanted three exhibition games.
He wanted to gauge where his team currently is, and the simple answer is that they are very much still a work in progress.
The good news is that UNC doesn't need to be a finished product in October. They need to become a better basketball team come March, and the exhibition games should help them trend in the right direction.
No one will deny that this team has some flaws. However, the exhibition games will provide a chance for this group to learn as they go, building upon the areas that need improvement.
The question remains: what did they take away from the preseason, and how will it impact them once the games start to officially count?
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