The North Carolina Tar Heels will hit the basketball court for the first time on Friday in a preseason exhibition game, hosting USC in the Dean Dome. It will be the first time we see Michael Malone's roster on the court as the first-year head coach continues to build the program under his watch.
Friday's game will be a good test for the Tar Heels, facing off against a Division I opponent to prepare for the upcoming season which features a tough non-conference schedule.
But when UNC takes the court on Friday, they will be without one of their big transfer pickups. Big man Cameron Fens won't play on Friday night as he's ineligible at the moment. Head coach Michael Malonerevealed the news at the annual ACC Tip-Off event on Wednesday.
“Cameron will
not play Friday night,” Malone said. “He’s technically ineligible at the moment. He’s been practicing every day and is a big part of what we’ve been doing, and we’re going to let this process play out.”
Fens committed to North Carolina on August 7th and then was ruled ineligible a few weeks back thanks to a court ruling. After some back and forth, it's apparent that he's ineligible at the moment. But that could change.
The frontcourt depth for the Tar Heels isn't the greatest, so missing another player like Fens could be tough on UNC. The hope is that Fens gets eligible and is able to play but it feels like this saga isn't close to being over.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball will be without key transfer for exhibition
