When do Tar Heels play in NFL preseason openers this weekend? Brooks breaks hand

Every team with a Tar Heel in NFL training camps plays its preseason opener this weekend, with stars such as Drake Maye or Javonte Williams unlikely to play. In contrast, others will take snaps attempting to solidify their positions. Among the former UNC players who won’t be playing is Houston fullback British Brooks, who had surgery Aug. 5 to repair a broken hand suffered in practice, and is expected to be out a few more weeks.

Tar Heel Tribune Podcast

The “Tar Heel Tribune Podcast,” with hosts Britt Whitmire and R.L. Bynum, gives Tar Heel Tribune readers a conversational companion to the site’s written coverage of Carolina athletics with interviews, opinions and insights.

UNC to face USC in Greensboro men’s basketball exhibition game

Coach Michael Malone’s first Carolina team will get two challenging exhibition contests before the games count. UNC is set to face USC in an exhibition at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, before traveling to Indianapolis nine days later for a second exhibition against Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday, Oct. 18, in a game that had been announced in June.

From LT to Kobe: Belichick delivers masterclass on defending generational talent

CHAPEL HILL — Bill Belichick is known for often giving short answers, but expounding on certain subjects that aren’t directly team-related expansively. That was the case during Thursday’s press conference at the Kenan Football Center when he talked about changing schemes to stop star players in sports, using examples that spanned football, basketball and beyond.