BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana and North Carolina will add another chapter to a rich college basketball rivalry on Sunday in an exhibition game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m., with the game streaming on Big Ten Plus and WISH-TV.
Cream and Crimson versus Carolina Blue and White. Few matchups can equal the history represented by two uniforms. The Blue Blood title isn’t just given out across the country; it is something that is earned. How is that title earned?
Winning.
North Carolina has won six national championships, while Indiana owns five. The Tar Heels also have 21 Final Four appearances, and the Hoosiers have eight Final Fours and 22 Big Ten Championships.
Indiana leads the all-time series 10-6, with the first meeting dating back to 1961. The most significant games have come on the biggest stage. Indiana defeated North Carolina 63-50 in the 1981 national championship game, securing Bob Knight’s second championship with the Hoosiers. Three years later, Indiana upset the top-seeded UNC team 72-68 in the Sweet 16, a team that featured Michael Jordan and Brad Daugherty.
The Tar Heels got their revenge in the 2016 NCAA tournament, eliminating Indiana with a 101-86 victory in the Sweet 16. The Hoosiers have won the two meetings since then, including a 77-65 victory at Assembly Hall in November of 2022.
Sunday’s game will look considerably different from those previous meetings. New location. New rosters.
Like Indiana, North Carolina is entering a particularly significant new era.
A New Direction at North Carolina
The Tar Heels finished last season 24-9 overall and 12-6 in the ACC, tying for fourth in the conference and earning a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Despite that solid record, the season ended in disappointment when UNC gave up a 19-point second-half lead in an 82-78 overtime loss to VCU in the first round.
This loss closed Hubert Davis’ five-year tenure with North Carolina and led to the hiring of Michael Malone, the former Denver Nuggets head coach who won the 2023 NBA championship.
Malone inherited a roster that returns only five players, bringing in eleven new players. The most important returner for the Tar Heels may be the 6-foot-10 forward Jarin Stevenson, who averaged 8 points and 4 rebounds last season. Stevenson showed he is ready for the bigger role in their first exhibition game versus USC, going for 25 points and 10 rebounds in their 88-70 victory.
The roster’s size and versatility are an immediate standout for North Carolina. Guard Neo Avdalas gives Malone a playmaker, while 7-foot-1 freshman Sayon Keita provides length and rim protection on the interior. Utah transfer Terrance Brown, who averaged almost 20 points per game last season, gives UNC an experienced scorer in the backcourt.
The question to be asked: how quickly can all of those pieces become cohesive?
Against USC, North Carolina committed 18 turnovers. Sunday’s matchup should provide a clearer picture of how the Tar Heels respond against a physical, gritty opponent away from home.
Indiana Pulls Away from Butler in Exhibition Opener
Indiana provided its first extended look at its rebuilt roster last Sunday, pulling away from Butler for a 96-68 exhibition victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The final margin was comfortable, but the Hoosiers had to work through an uneven opening half. Butler stayed within three points at halftime, with Indiana carrying a 44-41 lead into the locker room. Out of the break, the Hoosiers took complete control, outscoring the Bulldogs 52-27 while using their depth, size, and outside shooting to turn a competitive game into a rout.
Indiana displayed impressive offensive balance. Markus Burton, Darren Harris, and Samet Yigitoglu scored 13 points apiece, while Aiden Sherrell added 10 points and nine rebounds. Fourteen Hoosiers played; every player scored, and nine finished with at least six points.
The most encouraging development for Indiana came on the glass. The Hoosiers outrebounded Butler 53-33, collecting 17 offensive rebounds that produced 25 second-chance points.
DeVries still had areas to address. Indiana committed 23 fouls and struggled to stop Butler in transition during the first half. DeVries identified transition defense and fouling as two points of emphasis ahead of Sunday’s matchup with North Carolina.
The Tar Heels provide a much stronger test of Indiana’s progress. North Carolina possesses more length and athleticism than Butler, and this matchup will show whether Indiana can reproduce its rebounding advantage while defending UNC’s versatile lineup without getting into foul trouble.
This will also test Indiana’s depth against a team that can apply much more defensive pressure. The Hoosiers overwhelmed Butler during the second half, but UNC forced 10 second-half turnovers and held USC to 26.5% shooting after halftime in their exhibition opener. Sunday will reveal whether Indiana’s performance at Hinkle Fieldhouse was a promising start or an early sign of a team prepared to compete with high-level opponents.
What to Watch Sunday
Rebounding could decide which team controls the exhibition. Both Indiana and North Carolina dominated the glass in their preseason openers; the Hoosiers outrebounded Butler by 20, while UNC posted a 47-44 advantage over USC. Indiana’s size inside will be tested by Stevenson, Keita, and a Tar Heel lineup that has length at every position.
The guard matchup should be equally important. Burton gives Indiana an established scorer who can create, but UNC can counter with Avdalas’ size. If the Tar Heels use their length to disrupt Indiana’s offense, Burton’s ability to balance scoring with playmaking will be especially important.
Because it's an exhibition, the final score will be less important than what the coaches learn. Both coaches can use this as an opportunity to accelerate the development of a nearly rebuilt roster, establish the defensive standard both coaches want, and look to reset the standard for NCAA tournament appearances.
The result will not officially alter a series that Indiana leads 10-6. Still, an October meeting between two programs with 11 combined national championships carries more weight- and considerably more intrigue than an ordinary preseason tune-up.
