UNC basketball to play two preseason games in the Bahamas. But you can’t watch or hear it

North Carolina’s basketball team will get its first opportunity to perform on the court together against a team other than themselves on Friday.

The Tar Heels flew to the Bahamas on Wednesday, and will play two preseason games against international competition. It will likely feature the debuts of its heralded freshmen, Nassir Little and Coby White, both of whom were McDonald’s All-Americans.

You can’t watch it, though.

The game will not be televised, nor will it be broadcast on radio.

Every four years, college basketball programs are allowed to make a foreign trip and play international competition. With that, they are allowed to have 10 extra practices in the summer in preparation. Four years ago, UNC made the trip to the Bahamas where they faced a team led by a 16-year-old DeAndre Ayton. UNC lost that game. Ayton, who was taken No. 1 overall in this year’s NBA draft, had a double-double against the Tar Heels.

However, it had no bearing on the season.

While the game is otherwise meaningless, UNC coach Roy Williams will get a chance to see what his young freshmen are really made of, and how much his returning players have improved.

“We get our freshmen used to playing at a faster tempo than they have ever played and seeing how they fit in,” UNC coach Roy Williams said in July, “and it gives us an early indication of how fast we may able to go when we start preseason practice.”

UNC is particularly looking for players who can fill the voids left by guard Joel Berry and wing Theo Pinson, who advanced to the NBA.

Little, a 6-6, 220-pound wing, who was a top five recruit in the Class of 2018 is expected to make a big impact. So is White, a 6-5, 185-pound guard from Goldsboro’s Greenfield School, who finished his high school career as the state’s all-time leading scorer.

UNC returns 11 players from last year’s team, including three starters in seniors Kenny Williams, Cam Johnson and Luke Maye. Maye averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds last year. He was voted the ACC’s most improved player, and first-team All-ACC.

Johnson is not expected to play in the exhibition games as he is still recovering from an arthroscopic knee procedure he had in April. Johnson is expected to be ready by the start of the season.

UNC will play the Bahamas All-Stars on Friday and the New Providence Basketball Association All-Stars on Saturday.

This story was originally published August 16, 2018 at 3:50 PM.