North Carolina’s first-game look at Wofford vs UNC came with a clear early-season theme: the Tar Heels are spreading offensive creation across multiple point guards. Through three exhibitions and Monday’s 80-72 win over Western Carolina, Hudl Instat data showed North Carolina using Terrence Brown Jr., Neo Avdalas and Angelo Brizzi in different parts of the same job, with Terrence Brown Jr. handling the heaviest share of tracked offensive possessions.
That usage pattern fits what Michael Malone said before the season, when he noted that North Carolina would lean on multiple ball handlers. It also explains why the early numbers are so split. Brown posted 12.2 tracked offensive possessions per game in the exhibition sample, while Avdalas and Brizzi were used in more specialized ways that suggest the offense is still sorting out who initiates which actions and when.
Brown has carried the biggest workload so far
Brown’s role has been the most expansive of the three guards, and the early play-type data reflects that. He produced 31.3% shooting in one sample, along with 3.8 per game and 2.8 per game in other tracked offensive categories, while also finishing with 1 point per possession in one usage set and.73 points per possession and.86 points per possession in others. The broader takeaway is simple: he has been asked to do the most as a creator, even if the efficiency has not always been clean.
Malone’s view of Brown has stayed consistent. “I never question if Terrence Brown is going to compete and play hard because that’s just how he’s wired,” Malone said. That trust matters in a rotation where the ball may not always be in Brown’s hands first.
Avdalas has been the most efficient handler
If Brown has been the busiest, Avdalas has been the most effective in the specific role data has tracked. In the early sample, he led the group at 1.4 points per possession as a pick-and-roll handler. He also posted 1.67 points per possession in another tracked set, plus 1.0 point per possession,.33 of a point per possession and.57 of a point per possession in other play-type snapshots.
That is the clearest sign that North Carolina may be comfortable letting Avdalas initiate more often in the right situations. Malone pointed to that possibility directly, saying Brown will have to trust that if Avdalas is initiating, Brown may still get the ball on the second side or the backside of an action. In other words, the possession may start with one guard and still finish with another.
Brizzi’s role is smaller, but still part of the plan
Brizzi has not carried the same burden as Brown, but he has still been part of the early structure. The data shows him around 11 tracked offensive possessions per game in one sample, with 22.7% in another and 2.5 per game in a separate category. His efficiency line is more modest, including 30% and 0.8 per game in one set of numbers, but his presence helps reinforce the larger point: North Carolina is not relying on one lead guard to solve everything.
That approach also showed up in Monday’s opener against Western Carolina. Avdalas finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three turnovers in the 80-72 win, a stat line that reflects both his playmaking value and the occasional rough edge that comes with early-season ball handling. Brown’s workload and Avdalas’ efficiency give North Carolina different ways to start an action, and that split should remain one of the team’s most important early-season questions.
For now, the answer to Wofford vs UNC is less about one point guard taking over and more about how North Carolina is building its offense around shared responsibility. Brown has had the biggest load. Avdalas has had the best numbers in pick-and-roll usage. And Brizzi remains part of a rotation that could keep evolving as the season moves forward.
