UNC to Face Kentucky, Arkansas, Indiana on Non-Conference Schedule for Michael Malone's 1st Season

Heading into Michael Malone's first season as head coach, North Carolina has finalized its non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 campaign.

The Tar Heels dropped their 17-game out-of-conference games on Thursday, including marquee matchups against Indiana on Oct. 18, Arkansas on Dec. 1 and Kentucky on Dec. 19.

Six of the games will be played at neutral-site locations. Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis will play host to the matchup with the Hoosiers. The game will also be a preseason exhibition contest.

The Tar Heels will face Kentucky at Madison Square Garden. Other venues they will play in include Spectrum Center in Charlotte (vs. West Virginia), First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro (vs. NC State) and Bridgestone Arena in Nashville (vs. Illinois).

In addition to its non-conference schedule, North Carolina will play 17 games against ACC competition. Dates and times for those games has not yet been announced.

This season marks the start of a new era in Chapel Hill with Malone taking over as head coach. He is replacing Hubert Davis, who was fired in March after the Tar Heels lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to VCU.

Davis went 125-54 in five seasons and made the NCAA tournament four times, reaching the Final Four in his first season in 2021-22.

Malone was hired on April 7, marking his first stint as a head coach at the college level. He has experience in college, having spent eight seasons as an assistant at three different universities from 1994 to 2001.

The 54-year-old Malone has 12 seasons of head-coaching experience in the NBA, including a 10-year run with the Denver Nuggets from 2015 to '25. He owns a 510-394 career record and won the 2022-23 NBA championship.