By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina vs. Indiana
When: 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
TV: B1G+ (read how to watch the streaming broadcast here): Jay Wilson play-by-play, Shimmy Gray-Miller analyst
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app); Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Zeller analyst
Coaches: Indiana coach Darien DeVries (187–82 in nine seasons; 18–14 after one season at Indiana) and UNC coach Michael Malone (first season; 510–394 in NBA regular season, 44–36 in NBA playoffs in 12 seasons)
Series: Indiana leads 10–6 (see list below)
First exhibitions: Indiana won 96–68 at Butler last Sunday; UNC beat Southern Cal 88–70 on Oct. 9 in Greensboro.
Probable Indiana starters
No. 5 | G | Markus Burton (top photo) | 6–0, 180 | senior Notre Dame transfer
— Was twice named an All-ACC performer. He averaged 19.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.8
steals in 33.2 minutes per game in 69 career games with the Irish.
— The Mishawaka, Ind., native scored double figures in 63 career games, topped the 20-point barrier 33 times, and scored 30-plus points in four contests. He has averaged 19.7 points and 3.7 assists per game in his last seven games against ranked opponents (six away from home).
— Among current high-major guards listed at 6–0 or shorter, Burton ranks second in career points (1,315), third in assists (259), and third in steals (123).
— Burton was 0–3 against UNC with Notre Dame, scoring 23 in the Irish’s 74–73 home loss on Jan. 4, 2025.
No. 22 | F | Aiden Sherrell | 7–0, 250 | junior Alabama transfer
— Appeared in 70 college games, seven coming in the NCAA tournament, in two seasons for the Tide.
— A 2024 McDonald’s All-American, Sherrell averaged 11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 23.9 minutes per game and knocked down 27 3-pointers in 34 starts as a second-year player.
— Over the last two seasons of high-major college basketball, eight players have blocked at least eight shots in a game. Sherrell is joined by Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s) and Ugonna Onyenso (Virginia) as the only players with multiple such games.
— Sherrell was the only player in the country to collect at least 75 blocked shots and make at least 25 3-pointers during the 2025–26 season.
No. 21 | C | Samet Yigitoglu | 7–2, 270 | junior SMU transfer
— Tallest Indiana player since 7–2 Uwe Blab (1981-85). The Turkish big man has started all 66 career games
played.
— Has averaged 10.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game during his career and
has posted 10 double-doubles.
— Split two games against UNC while at SMU, scoring four points in both the Mustangs’ 97–83 win last season at home on Jan. 3 and in the Tar Heels’ 82–67 win on Jan. 7, 2025.
No. 1 | G | Darren Harris | 6–5, 205 | junior Duke transfer
— Former top-40 recruit has appeared in 57 college games.
— In 15 career games with at least 10 minutes played, Harris has averaged 6.7 points on 39.2% (20-of-51)
shooting from behind the 3-point line.
— Played a total of 13 minutes in two Duke wins over UNC: He scored two points in a 76–61 win on March 7, 2026, and was scoreless in one minute of an 87–70 win on Feb. 1, 2025.
No. 3 | G | Jaeden Mustaf | 6–6, 215 | junior Georgia Tech transfer
— Averaged 9.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in two seasons at Georgia Tech.
— In the last month of last season, he averaged 14.9 points, shooting 45.3% from the floor, 40% from 3-point range and 86.4% at the free-throw line.
— Lost both games against UNC while at Georgia Tech, 68–65 at UNC on Dec. 7, 2024, and 91–75 last season on Jan. 31, scoring six points in both games.
Indiana returnees
No. 4 | F | Sam Alexis | 6–9, 240 | Fifth-year player
— Averaged 8.8 points and 4.8 rebounds last season to pair, with a
team-high 38 blocked shots.
No. 11 | F | Trent Sisley | 6–8, 230 | sophomore
— Averaged 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per night in 30 games off the bench.
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— After LSU coaching change, ‘drought,’ Thomas wanted to be part of UNC’s ‘winning group’
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Notes
— In coach Darien DeVries‘ first season at Indiana, the Hoosiers went 18–14 overall and 9–11 in the Big Ten and didn’t play in a postseason tournament. He went 150–65 in six seasons at Drake and 19–13 in one season at West Virginia before taking the Indiana job before last season.
— Indiana, which returns only 16.2% of the scoring from last season, outrebounded Butler 53–33 in its 96–68 exhibition win, going 13 of 33 from 3-point range. Darren Harris, Markus Burton and Samet Yigitoglu all scored 13 points and Aiden Sherrell added 10
— This is UNC’s first game in Indianapolis since the 2000 Final Four in the RCA Dome when Florida beat the Tar Heels 71–59 in the semifinals in Coach Bill Guthridge‘s third and final season as head coach to finish 22–14.
— Indiana leads the all-time series 10–6, with half of the Hoosiers’ wins coming in the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers won the last meeting on Nov. 30, 2022, 77–65 in Bloomington during the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
— Villanova transfer and fourth-year guard Bryce Lindsay, was a 2025 All-Sun Belt Conference selection. He averaged 12.8 points on 38.2% shooting (165-of-432) from beyond the arc over the last two seasons. He is one of 25 players to make at least 160 3-pointers and shoot better than 38.0% from distance over the last two seasons combined. He has 44 games with multiple 3-pointers.
— Indiana forward Sherrell and UNC forward Jarin Stevenson were Alabama teammates in the 2024–25 season, when the Tide went 28–9 and lost to Duke 85–65 in the Elite Eight. That team won 94–79 at UNC on Dec. 3, 2024, in the ACC-SEC Challenge. Stevenson started and scored six points. Sherrill played seven scoreless minutes off the bench.
— This is the first season UNC did not return a player who averaged double-digit scoring as a Tar Heel since 2019–20.
— Carolina’s six incoming transfers combined for 2,234 points last season (636 by Terrence Brown, 463 by Angelo Brizzi, 460 by Cameron Fens, 375 by Neo Avdalas and 300 by Matt Able). The five returning Tar Heels combined for 348, 266 of which came from Stevenson.
— Stevenson bettered his career-high of 22 points for Alabama against Texas with 25 points in the exhibition win over USC.
— Isaiah Denis scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half against the Trojans.
Box scores from first exhibitions
UNC 88, Southern Cal 70
Indiana 96, Butler 68
Series: Indiana 10, UNC 6
| Date | Time/ scores | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |||
| 9 | W, 88–70 | Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro | |
| 18 | 5 p.m. | Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis | B1G+ * |
| 27 | 7:30 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte | ACCN Extra |
| November | Regular season | |||
| 2 | 7 p.m. | Monday | vs. Western Carolina | ACCN |
| 6 | 7 p.m. | Friday | vs. Wofford | ACCN |
| 10 | 7 p.m. | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming | ACCN |
| 13 | 7 p.m. | Friday | vs. Georgia | ESPN2 |
| 20 | 9 p.m. | Friday | vs. Marshall | ACCN |
| 23 | 7 p.m. | Monday | vs. Monmouth | ACCN |
| 27 | 7 p.m. | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte | ESPN |
| December | ||||
| 1 | 7:30 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas | ESPN |
| 6 | 3 p.m. | Sunday | vs. Butler | ESPN2 |
| 12 | Noon | Saturday | at Georgetown | Peacock |
| 15 | 7 p.m. | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro | ESPN2 |
| 19 | 2:30 | Saturday | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York | CBS |
| 21 | 8 p.m. | Monday | vs. The Citadel | The CW |
| 30 | 4 p.m. | Wednesday | vs. California | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 2 | 4 p.m. | Saturday | at Boston College | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 5 | 9 p.m. | Tuesday | at Louisville | ESPN or ESPNU |
| 9 | Noon | Saturday | vs. N.C. State | ESPN2 |
| 13 | 7 p.m. | Wednesday | at Florida State | ESPN2 or ESPNU |
| 16 | 2:15 | Saturday | vs. Stanford | The CW |
| 19 | 9 p.m. | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia | ESPN |
| 23 | Noon | Saturday | at Syracuse | ESPN or 2 or U |
| 26 | 7 p.m. | Tuesday | vs. SMU | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 30 | 6 or 6:30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. | ESPN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | 7 p.m. | Tuesday | at Notre Dame | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 6 | 2:15 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech | The CW |
| 8 | 6 p.m. | Monday | vs. Louisville | ESPN |
| 13 | 5:30 | Saturday | at No. 4 Duke | ABC |
| 20 | 7 p.m. | Saturday | at Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 22 | 7 p.m. | Monday | vs. No. 24 Miami | ESPN |
| 27 | 7 p.m. | Saturday | at Virginia Tech | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 2 | 9 p.m. | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 6 | 6 or 6:30 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo via iuhoosiers.com
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