By R.L. Bynum
Western Carolina at North Carolina
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Smith Center
TV: ACC Network | Jay Alter play-by-play, Cory Alexander analyst
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app); Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Zeller analyst
Coaches: Western Carolina coach Tim Craft (third season at WCU; 8–22 in 2024–25 and 15–16 in 2025–26; previously 11 seasons at Gardner-Webb; 0–2 vs. UNC, both games while at Gardner-Webb) and UNC coach Michael Malone (first college head-coaching season; 510–394 in NBA regular-season games, 44–36 in NBA playoff games)
Series: UNC leads 2–0: The No. 1 Tar Heels won 77–59 on Jan. 30, 1957, at Reid Gymnasium in Cullowhee; the No. 11 Heels won at home 104–61 on Dec. 6, 2017.
Exhibition results: UNC beat Southern Cal 88–70 on Oct. 9 in Greensboro, lost 76–58 at Indiana on Oct. 18 and beat Charlotte 89–82 in overtime Tuesday. Western Carolina won at Appalachian State 83–76 on Oct. 20, and at home 95–65 last Monday against USC Upstate.
Projected Western Carolina starters
No. 12 | F | Samuel Dada (top photo) | 6–9, 225 | sophomore
— The Lagos, Nigeria, native led the Catamounts last season with 235 rebounds (7.6 per game) and shot 69% from the field.
— Had five double-doubles as a freshman and scored in double figures 10 times.
— Collected a season-high 19 points and a season-high-tying 14 rebounds in an 82–77 win over Samford on Jan. 7.
— One of four returning players from last season’s roster.
No. 8 | F | Donovan Raymond | 6–10, 225 | senior Old Dominion transfer
— One of the veteran transfers in Craft’s rebuilt group.
— The Catamounts’ tallest listed player, which could matter against a UNC team that has struggled to rebound.
— His only double-figure scoring games came during his freshman season at Hampton, with 14 against Mid-Atlantic Christian and Virginia University-Lynchburg.
No. 7 | G | Isaiah Manning | 6–8, 225 | senior Sam Houston State transfer
— Played his freshman season at TCU.
— Gives WCU unusual size for a guard, which fits a roster that includes several players at 6–5 or taller.
— Career-high is 27 points last season on Dec. 28 for Sam Houston in a 117–57 home win over College of Biblical Studies. He had 23 points and three 3-pointers on Jan. 2 in a 102–91 loss at Western Kentucky.
No. 4 | G | Travelle Bryson | 6–5, 195 | junior Howard transfer
— Played his freshman season at Vincennes University, a junior college.
— His best game last season was 22 points, two 3-pointes and eight rebounds in a 100–67 home win over N.C. Central.
No. 22 | G | Malachi Brown | 6–1, 175 | senior Georgia State transfer
— Played two seasons at Georgia State after his logging only 74 minutes over 18 games as a freshman at Seton Hall
— His best game score of 19.3 came when he had 23 points, five 3-pointers, four rebounds and three assists last season on Jan. 3 in an 89–71 road win over Coastal Carolina. His career scoring high is 26 points last season on Feb. 24 in a 76–71 home loss to Coastal Carolina.
Other key Catamounts
No. 21 | F | Tayeshaun Smith | 6–7, 220 | sophomore
— A Raleigh native, he appeared in 30 games as a freshman, mostly as a reserve, and shot 41% from the field.
— Season high of 18 points came in a 124–62 win Dec. 2 against Virginia University of Lynchburg, and he had nine points in 23 minutes in a 112–82 road loss Dec. 18 to Georgia.
No. 1 | G | Drew Hollifield | 6–1, 190 | junior
— Returning guard who played 15 minutes over six games last season and scored 13 points.
No. 5 | G | Titian DeRosa | 5–9, 150 | sophomore
— Returning guard who didn’t play last season but shot 43.5% from 3-point range in high school.
Newcomers to know: Jaxon Prunty (College of Charleston transfer), Jaeden Roberts (Hofstra), Cross Arias (Emory & Henry), Jake Baker (East Carolina) and freshmen Jose Martins, Jacob Zhu, Fola Sodipo and Antonio McKoy.
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Notes
— Monday will be the first regular-season game of Michael Malone’s college coaching career, and it begins a stretch of six consecutive home games, with Georgia on Nov. 13 the only power-conference opponent.
— Former UNC player Jackson Simmons, who came to Chapel Hill as a preferred walk-on before earning a scholarship, is in his third season as an assistant coach on the Western Carolina staff.
— Western Carolina has more turnover than almost any team Carolina will see this season. Only four players return from last year, and the 16-man roster includes eight transfers, four freshmen and seven players from North Carolina.
— The Catamounts finished 15–16 last season (10–8 in the Southern Conference), winning their last six regular-season games before losing 69–67 to ETSU in the conference semifinals. League coaches picked Western Carolina eighth of 11 teams this season, with Furman a clear favorite to win the SoCon.
— This is the first of two games in an opening road swing for WCU, which visits UNC Asheville on Nov. 7 before its home opener against Virginia University of Lynchburg on Nov. 11. The Catamounts’ nonconference schedule also includes two road games against teams UNC will face: Butler on Nov. 17 and Wake Forest on Nov. 21.
— Coach Tim Craft is in his third season at WCU. During his 11 seasons before that at Gardner-Webb, his teams lost to UNC twice at the Smith Center: 77–61 on Nov. 15, 2019, against the No. 6 Tar Heels and 72–66 on Nov. 15, 2022, against a No. 1 UNC team.
— Last season in Virginia Tech’s 96–74 home win Dec. 11 over Western Carolina, Neo Avdalas collected 30 points, four 3-pointers, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in 33 minutes for a 22.6 game score. His only better game last season was 33 points, five 3-pointers, five rebounds, six assists and a 25.9 game score in 34 minutes of a 107–101 overtime win Nov. 8 over Providence.
— UNC has won both meetings, including a 104–61 home win on Dec. 6, 2017. The No. 11 Tar Heels hit a season-high 16 3-pointers, led 53–25 on the boards and used a 33–3 run in the first half. Luke Maye had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
— Carolina trailed at halftime in all three exhibitions, a pattern Malone brought up after the Charlotte game (“We still have not won a first half,” he said). The Tar Heels also have a negative assist-to-turnover ratio, and Charlotte scored 23 points off UNC turnovers.
— Rebounding is the other concern. Carolina allowed 20 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points at Indiana and 18 second-chance points against Charlotte. Samuel Dada pulled down a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game last season and could challenge a UNC frontcourt that Malone has criticized for its production on the glass.
— UNC center Cameron Fens remains ineligible while his case in the Tennessee courts plays out, and Malone said Tuesday there was no update. The Tennessee Court of Appeals stayed his injunction on Aug. 26.
— Terrence Brown scored 27 points against Charlotte after totaling 12 in the first two exhibitions, and Neo Avdalas had 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Malone has said that having multiple ball handlers makes the Tar Heels harder to guard.
Individual preseason statistics
| Player | GP | MPG | PPG | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stevenson | 3 | 31.3 | 13.3 | 13–30 | 43.3 | 8–17 | 47.1 |
| Brown | 3 | 26.7 | 13.0 | 14–32 | 43.8 | 3–9 | 33.3 |
| Avdalas | 3 | 27.0 | 12.3 | 11–27 | 40.7 | 3–9 | 33.3 |
| Keita | 3 | 27.0 | 10.7 | 11–17 | 64.7 | 1–1 | 100 |
| Young | 3 | 19.3 | 8.7 | 8–19 | 42.1 | 6–14 | 42.9 |
| Adams | 3 | 18.3 | 6.3 | 7–17 | 41.2 | 3–9 | 33.3 |
| Denis | 2 | 16.5 | 8.0 | 5–11 | 45.5 | 2–6 | 33.3 |
| Able | 2 | 22.0 | 5.5 | 4–10 | 40.0 | 3–8 | 37.5 |
| Samodurov | 3 | 14.3 | 3.7 | 4–11 | 36.4 | 1–6 | 16.7 |
| Brizzi | 3 | 12.3 | 0.7 | 0–5 | 0.0 | 0–3 | 0.0 |
| Thomas | 3 | 5.7 | 0.7 | 1–2 | 50.0 | 0–0 | — |
| E.Smith | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | — |
| Holbrook | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | — |
| Totals | 3 | 208.3 | 78.3 | 78–181 | 43.1 | 30–82 | 36.6 |
| Player | FT | FT% | OR/DR | R | RPG | A | TO | B | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stevenson | 6–8 | 75 | 5/10 | 15 | 5.0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Brown | 8–13 | 61.5 | 0/7 | 7 | 2.3 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| Avdalas | 12–16 | 75 | 1/19 | 20 | 6.7 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| Keita | 9–11 | 81.8 | 8/9 | 17 | 5.7 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 4 |
| Young | 4–4 | 100 | 1/5 | 6 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Adams | 2–8 | 25 | 6/8 | 14 | 4.7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Denis | 4–4 | 100 | 0/4 | 4 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Able | 0–0 | — | 0/4 | 4 | 2.0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| Samodurov | 2–2 | 100 | 4/4 | 8 | 2.7 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| Brizzi | 2–2 | 100 | 1/1 | 2 | 0.7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Thomas | 0–2 | 0.0 | 0/1 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| E.Smith | 0–0 | — | 0/0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Holbrook | 0–0 | — | 0/0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 49–70 | 70.0 | 30/78 | 108 | 36.0 | 39 | 47 | 12 | 27 |
Preseason team comparison
| Statistic | UNC | Opponents | UNC/game | Opp./game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 235 | 228 | 78.3 | 76.0 |
| FG | 78 | 78 | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| FGA | 181 | 200 | 60.3 | 66.7 |
| FG% | 43.1% | 39.0% | ||
| 3PT | 30 | 27 | 10.0 | 9.0 |
| 3PTA | 82 | 82 | 27.3 | 27.3 |
| 3PT% | 36.6% | 32.9% | ||
| FT | 49 | 45 | 16.3 | 15.0 |
| FTA | 70 | 61 | 23.3 | 20.3 |
| FT% | 70.0% | 73.8% | ||
| Offensive rebounds | 30 | 44 | 10.0 | 14.7 |
| Defensive rebounds | 78 | 78 | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Rebounds | 108 | 122 | 36.0 | 40.7 |
| Assists | 39 | 35 | 13.0 | 11.7 |
| Turnovers | 47 | 45 | 15.7 | 15.0 |
| Assist-to -turnover ratio | 0.83 | 0.78 | ||
| Blocks | 12 | 14 | 4.0 | 4.7 |
| Steals | 27 | 26 | 9.0 | 8.7 |
| Fouls | 53 | 61 | 17.7 | 20.3 |
| Points off turnovers | 47 | 66 | 15.7 | 22.0 |
| Second- chance points | 27 | 48 | 9.0 | 16.0 |
| Points in paint | 94 | 72 | 31.3 | 24.0 |
| Fast-break points | 26 | 23 | 8.7 | 7.7 |
| Bench points | 73 | 78 | 24.3 | 26.0 |
Box scores from UNC’s exhibitions
UNC 88, Southern Cal 70
Indiana 76, UNC 58
UNC 89, Charlotte 82, OT
| Date | Time/ scores | Month/day | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |||
| 9 | W, 88–70 | Friday | vs. No. 21 USC in Greensboro | |
| 18 | L, 76–58 | Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis | |
| 27 | W, 89–82, OT | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte | |
| 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. 12 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. No. 23 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 No. 11 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. 9 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. 3 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. No. 11 Louisville | ESPN |
| 13 | 5:30 | Saturday | at No. 2 Duke | ABC |
| 20 | 7 p.m. | Saturday | at Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 22 | 7 p.m. | Monday | vs. No. 14 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. 2 Duke | ESPN |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo via catamountsports.com
