Lucas: Begin Again

Starting over was different then. Roy Williams had a boatload of returning players, including Raymond Felton, Jawad Williams, and Sean May. Jackie had a posse. David Noel was better known as a wide receiver. Michael Malone didn't inherit quite the same roster. In this era, the coach and the roster are new together. They looked like it for part of Monday night. (GoHeels.com)

Michael Malone gets win No. 1 at blueblood North Carolina. It wasn’t an easy night

Michael Malone walked into a room of reporters after a tougher-than-expected win in his coaching debut at UNC, then offered a quip that captured the mood. "You guys have as much fun as I did? Welcome to the roller coaster." The man who coached the Denver Nuggets to an NBA championship had just watched his Tar Heels beat Western Carolina 80-72. (Associated Press)

Video: UNC Basketball Players Post-Western Carolina Interviews

Maxi Adams, Matt Able, Neo Avdalas, and Terrence Brown speak with reporters following the Tar Heels' 80-72 season-opening victory over the Western Carolina Catamounts on Monday night at the Smith Center. (View Video)

Box Score: North Carolina 80, Western Carolina 72

View the complete box score from the North Carolina Tar Heels' 80-72 season-opening victory over the Western Carolina Catamounts on Monday night at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. (View Box Score)

Video: Michael Malone Post-Western Carolina Press Conference

North Carolina head men's basketball coach Michael Malone speaks with the media following the Tar Heels' 80-72 victory over the Western Carolina Catamounts on Monday night in Chapel Hill. (View Video)

Video: Tar Heels Top Catamounts to Open Regular Season, 80-72 - Highlights

North Carolina got 18 points from Matt Able, led from start to finish and held off a pesky Western Carolina squad, 80-72, on Monday night in the Smith Center in Michael Malone's first official game as the Tar Heel head coach. Check out the highlights. (View Video)

Lucas: North Carolina vs. Western Carolina Rapid Reactions

It's always nice to be undefeated. UNC is 1-0 after a 80-72 win over Western Carolina in the season opener. Nice moment after the game, as Michael Malone was presented with the game ball by athletic director Steve Newmark and another guy who knows a little something about winning at the Smith Center--Roy Williams. Matt Able led UNC with 18 points. (GoHeels.com)

Michael Malone says Tar Heels need to trust each other as they work through issues

These Tar Heels are clearly a work in progress and are lucky to begin the season with a soft schedule. In the meantime, Coach Michael Malone says his team will have to trust each other and accept that a different player might lead the way on any given night. "When we stop trusting, we look like a team that is just not operating on the same page." (Tar Heel Tribune)

UNC wins Michael Malone’s coaching debut by beating Western Carolina 80-72

Matt Able scored 18 points and North Carolina make a decisive push in the final six minutes to win Michael Malone’s coaching debut by beating Western Carolina 80-72 on Monday. Terrence Brown scored 14 points while Neo Avdalas added 13 for the Tar Heels, who used a 13-2 run to finally shake free and build a double-digit lead against the pesky Catamounts. (Associated Press)

Box Score: UNC Women's Basketball 79, Oklahoma 91

View the complete box score from the No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels Women's Basketball team's 91-79 season-opening loss to the No. 21 Oklahoma Sooners on Monday in Paris, France. (View Box Score)

Michael Malone Era Set To Begin Officially Monday vs. Western Carolina - Pregame Notes

The 117th season of Carolina basketball begins Monday, when the Tar Heels host Western Carolina in the Smith Center at 7 p.m. Malone is the first individual to lead UNC as head coach without having played for the Tar Heels or been an assistant coach with the program since Frank McGuire took the helm in 1952. UNC is 104-12 in season-openers. (GoHeels.com)

Video: UNC Women's Basketball Drops Season Opener to Oklahoma in France, 91-79 - Highlights

Hopping the pond to begin the season at the 2026 Oui Play in Paris, No. 12 UNC Women's Basketball battled back and forth with No. 21 Oklahoma through the first half on Monday, but fell behind in the second half to lose 91-79. Check out the highlights. (View Video)

Freshmen Harping, Bell put on show, but Oklahoma dominates UNC Women's Basketball in second half

A one-point game at halftime turned into a rough evening in Paris for No. 12 North Carolina Women's Basketball. No. 21 Oklahoma took over the game with a 20–6 third-quarter run and led by as many as 20 points, coasting to a 91–79 victory over the Tar Heels in the opener for both teams Monday at the Adidas Arena in the Oui-Play Paris event. (Tar Heel Tribune)

Video: Locked On Tar Heels - UNC Basketball Opens New Chapter vs. Western Carolina

UNC Basketball ushers in the Michael Malone era as college basketball tips off with questions involving team chemistry and on-court leadership. Can Terrence Brown and Neo Avdalas spark a dominant season opener vs. Western Carolina, or will growing pains define the new-look Tar Heels? (View Video)

UNC Hosts Western Carolina: TV info, stats, and notes

Monday will be the first regular-season game of Michael Malone’s college head coaching career, and it begins a stretch of six consecutive home games. Former UNC basketball 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. (Tar Heel Tribune)

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