GREENSBORO — Isaiah Denis could have left when Carolina changed coaches, but the sophomore stayed. On Friday night, in Michael Malone’s debut, Denis was rewarded with a coming-out party for Tar Heels fans who barely saw him on the court during his tough freshman season.

GREENSBORO — The newcomers Carolina expected to score didn’t, but returnees filled the void nicely as the Michael Malone era began.
Improved second-half defense held USC scoreless for nearly six minutes as the Tar Heels took control. UNC rebounded from a halftime deficit for an 88–70 win Friday night over Southern Cal at the First Horizon Coliseum in the exhibition opener for both teams.

CHARLOTTE — Sayon Keita arrived in Chapel Hill on a Saturday night in August, the weekend before classes started. That evening, North Carolina coach Michael Malone and his staff walked the 7-foot freshman center into his dorm, and Malone said the campus was buzzing. The timing was tight. Keita had to clear the visa process at the embassy in Madrid before he could travel, and he reached campus as the semester was about to begin. Malone said he worried about how a teenager would handle the move.

Michael Malone has had weeks of watching his players compete against each other. On Friday night, he’ll finally see them against another team that’s also led by a former NBA coach. In Malone’s first time on the sidelines for a UNC game, the Tar Heels will face Southern Cal in a 7 p.m. exhibition (ACC Network) at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro.

CHARLOTTE — Michael Malone’s coaching philosophy is less a product of one mentor than a collection of lessons gathered over a 25-year NBA career. His father helped shape him as a person and coach. Jeff Van Gundy taught him the value of preparation, attention to detail and defense. Mike Brown gave him the freedom to coach and showed him the importance of trusting a staff. But Gregg Popovich might have had the most profound influence.

CHARLOTTE — Michael Malone is the first to say he arrived at North Carolina as an outsider. He did not attend UNC or play for the Tar Heels, and he spent 25 years in the NBA before taking over a program steeped in tradition, taking the seat once held by Frank McGuire, Dean Smith and Roy Williams. Malone said he spent the months since taking the job trying to close that distance.

CHARLOTTE — Four 9 o’clock Carolina games and three at noon are on the full men’s basketball schedule, with times and TV designations released on Wednesday. Those 9 p.m. games are the home game against Marshall on Nov. 2, the game at Louisville on Jan. 5, the home game with Virginia on Jan. 19 and the March 2 contest at Pittsburgh.

CHARLOTTE — Michael Malone is one of the many coaches who believe basketball is positionless, and he has enough playmakers to make it work in the backcourt. With Terrence Brown Jr., Neo Avdalas, Matt Able and Angelo Brizzi, all transfers, it won’t be important to designate one player as a point guard. They’re all lead guards who can distribute the ball and create opportunities for teammates. That will keep opponents from keying in on one player defensively.

CHARLOTTE — The ever-changing sports calendar keeps shifting, and Carolina basketball will make history this week. Two days after his appearance Wednesday during ACC Tipoff at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown, Coach Michael Malone’s first Tar Heels team will play an exhibition game against Southern Cal at 7 p.m. Friday in Greensboro (ACC Network). The interval between the league’s annual press gathering is usually at least a couple of weeks or more.