For all the frontcourt questions that have surrounded the lead-up to the North Carolina men’s basketball season — and will likely continue — Sayon Keita briefly quieted some of them with one strong move to the basketball in the Tar Heels’ exhibition on Sunday.
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Keita, a 7-foot-1 freshman from Mali, is raw. He has a slight frame, listed at just 205 pounds. He first arrived in Chapel Hill on Aug. 15. Tar Heels coach Michael Malone met him at the airport and brought him to his dorm.
It was the last Saturday before classes started and there was a buzz in the air, UNC’s coach recalled. But Malone was concerned: This was a new country, a new world, English isn’t his first language. He needed to adapt quickly, and that’s what Malone found most “remarkable” about his first several weeks working with Keita.
“The kid is a beautiful young man,” Malone said at ACC Tip-Off on Oct. 7 in Charlotte. “He has not been tainted by this sometimes ugly business, and he finds ways to get better each and every day.”
And Keita showed that on Sunday. It was a rough outing for the Tar Heels, falling 76-58 to Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. UNC’s first basket of the game was one from Keita. The freshman was active in 20 minutes against USC in the Tar Heels’ first exhibition, but Malone said he thought the game was moving fast for him before settling in the second half.
In his very next opportunity against the Hoosiers, he showed some skill, too. Less than 50 seconds into the game, Keita took one hard dribble past Indiana forward Samet Yigitoglu and dunked the ball while getting fouled. More plays like that made him one of the game’s only true bright spots for UNC, tallying 12 points, nine rebounds and five blocks on 5-of-9 shooting.
That progress is vital for the Tar Heels. As of now, Keita is a member of UNC’s starting five. And regardless of what happens in South Dakota transfer Cameron Fens’ quest for a fifth season of eligibility, it’s possible that will remain the case. Keita is going to be a massive part of UNC this season, and is currently the youngest player among an expected starting group for the Tar Heels that features three transfers and senior forward Jarin Stevenson, who’s entering his second season at his hometown school.
Stevenson is an important part of the Tar Heels’ equation. At 6-10, he has the size and experience to take some of the pressure off of Keita. But Stevenson needs to play with more consistency to do that. That was Malone’s challenge to the senior, who erupted for 25 points and 10 rebounds against the Trojans on Oct. 9 at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. He even played a little at the five when Keita was off the floor.
“I’m just trying to do whatever I can help the team win,” Stevenson said after the game. “Being a five, I can do a lot of different things, or switch or play different coverages. So yeah, it was nice being the five, and it was a nice little surprise.”
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But with UNC completely overpowered by Indiana’s bigs, Stevenson took a step back. He shot 1 of 7 from the floor, scoring just three points and grabbing just three rebounds in the Tar Heels’ second tune-up. To get the most out of its starting five, North Carolina will need more.
Senior guard Terrence Brown
Sophomore guard Matt Able
Sophomore guard Neo Avdalas
Senior forward Jarin Stevenson
Freshman center Sayon Keita
There will be questions until it’s proven on the court, but if Keita adapts quicker-than-expected to the college game, the Tar Heels’ starting five could outperform expectations.
UNC will have to rebound better overall, but Keita wasn’t the reason for that issue against the Hoosiers, and his interior presence on the defensive end of the floor looks like it could put him among the elite rim-protectors in the ACC right away. This is a guard-heavy lineup for the Tar Heels, and the guards will have to produce.
If UNC is getting a consistent scoring punch from guards Terrence Brown and Matt Able, with 6-9 Neo Avdalas initiating spreading the ball around and attacking mismatches with drives to the rim, the Tar Heels won’t need nearly as much from their bigs. But Stevenson showed he’s capable of being a player who can take over a game against USC, and Keita clearly has a good-enough feel to score some.
There was quite a bit of stagnant offense against Indiana, but the Tar Heels’ best stretch in the second half was sparked by setting up a pick-and-roll. Avdalas is comfortable as a pick-and-roll ball handler, and Brown has shown he can be throughout a productive three-year college career so far. If Malone finds the right formula to use his talented bigs to open up things for his guards offensively — and UNC can get enough rebounding on interior defense on the other end — this could be a successful group when they share the floor.
What will the other two guards be doing when another has the ball?
That question was raised emphatically following the Tar Heels’ first exhibition. Malone seemed disappointed in himself, too, after Brown and Able (who went scoreless) combined for just five points against the Trojans. He didn’t think that effort indicated who they are as players — and UNC cannot have that from them, either. But Malone also acknowledged the Tar Heels have a “deep team.” That night, Avdalas initiated a lot. He took seven shots and dished five assists. Able and Brown didn’t seem very involved.
Able bounced back with 11 points against Indiana and Brown hasn’t averaged less than the 19.9 points per game he posted in 2025-26 at Utah since his freshman season. They will score. But the trio seems to be a work-in-progress in terms of how they’ll best play together. Their talent alone isn’t necessarily proof that it will work.
And if the Tar Heels aren’t getting consistency from their guard trio, that — again — puts pressure on the bigs. That might be a dangerous situation for North Carolina in Malone’s first campaign.
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This story was originally published October 21, 2026 at 5:06 AM.