We are officially a month away from the start of the 2026-27 college basketball season. For the North Carolina Tar Heels, they enter this season with a new head coach, hiring Michael Malone to replace Hubert Davis.
Malone is now tasked with getting this program back on track. That starts right away this season. The Tar Heels will open up the campaign on November 2nd, hosting Western Carolina. Their non-conference schedule for the most part is pretty tough, and they will be challenged early on.
For Malone, a lot of eyes will be on his starting lineup and the rotation he will use moving forward. We get our first look at that in the preseason, and things could change. But here’s how we predict things will go in terms of the starting lineup at least early on.
Point guard: Terrence Brown
One of North Carolina’s top additions this offseason, former Utah guard Terrence Brown, will play a big role for UNC this season. He’s coming off a 2025-26 season in which he averaged 19.9 points per game and shot 45 percent from the field. He will play the point guard role in Michael Malone’s offense and should be an immediate contributor.
Shooting Guard: Matt Able
The transfer from NC State could be the most impactful for the Tar Heels this season. Able averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 41.6 percent from the floor last season. He shot 35.5 percent from the three-point line but will have a bigger role for the Tar Heels.
Guard: Neoklis Avdalas
Another big transfer pickup for Michael Malone and his staff is guard Neoklis Avdalas. Last season at Virginia Tech, he averaged 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 35 percent from the field. A few years back he was considered one of the top international prospects. The hope is that UNC is a better fit for him and if that’s the case, he can really showcase his game.
Forward: Jarin Stevenson
The Chapel Hill native returns for his second season with the Tar Heels after spending the first two at Alabama. As he joined UNC last season, he’s one of the returnees from that team. Stevenson played well in his first year in Chapel Hill but this year, he will have a bigger role to fill for the Tar Heels.
Center: Sayon Keita
This might be the key piece to North Carolina’s lineup this season. The Tar Heels aren’t very deep at center so they may ask a lot of Sayon Keita who committed to North Carolina as an international prospect. The freshman has a lot of potential, but it may take some time before we fully see that. It’s not that Keita is bad by any means but he does remain arguably the biggest question mark on this team.
Sixth Man: Forward Maximo Adams
North Carolina’s prized recruit from the 2026 class, Maximo Adams could have a key role right away in his first season with the program. The 6-foot-7, 205-pound freshman was ranked No. 31 overall in the 2026 recruiting class and he’s already impressing in practice.
Key reserves: Cade Bennerman, Isaiah Denis, Angelo Brizzi, Kevin Thomas and Cameron Fens
The big question among these reserves is the eligibility of Cameron Fens. If he can play, it boosts North Carolina’s interior, and he could potentially start at center. There’s depth here but also some questions. Will Kevin Thomas have an impact in his first year? Can Isaiah Denis take a step forward?
The reserves could be key to success down the stretch for the Tar Heels.
