The No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels (11-2) hit 13-of-25 three-point attempts in a solid 86-72 win over Ohio State (10-4, 2-0) Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Four Tar Heels scored in double figures, and none of them were forward Luke Maye, who is averaging 19.3 points per game this season. Point guard Joel Berry and forward Theo Pinson both led the way with 19 points. Maye did add 10 rebounds and nine points, however.
The Buckeyes were led by leading scorer Keita Bates-Diop, who scored a game-high 26 points despite foul trouble that kept him out for long stretches of the contest. Point guard C.J. Jackson added 19 points for the Buckeyes.
At times, Jackson was the only scoring threat for OSU. In fact, he scored Ohio State’s first 11 points. Bates-Diop then scored the next seven points for the Buckeyes.
Trailing 31-23 in the first half, Jackson scored four straight for the Buckeyes to cut UNC’s lead to four points, and then a steal by Jackson could have allowed the Buckeyes to cut things even deeper, but a poor shot by Kam Williams squandered a key opportunity. North Carolina closed the half on a 10-0 run and kept Ohio State at a distance for the rest of the game.
The Buckeyes cut the deficit to single digits a couple of times, but they just didn’t have the ability to both stop UNC’s shooting, and then turn around and score to bring the game closer. The Tar Heels opened leads of as much as 19 points before settling in for the 14-point win.
It is going to be a while before Ohio State has the talent to win these games, but they have the effort for it right now.
Senior forward Jae’Sean Tate added nine points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals. Both he and Bates-Diop eventually fouled out.
The Buckeyes were outrebounded 39-26.
The Star
Keita Bates-Diop scored his 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field. There were times when the team jumped on his back and he carried them forward, but foul trouble did him in early. He still fought through two personal fouls in the first half to play well and smart, and at times the Tar Heels had no answer for him. It was the aggressive Keita Bates-Diop that this team needs, especially against talented teams like UNC. This should be a confidence booster for him, and for the Buckeyes as well.
The Good
This team never quit, even when it was clear that they were never going to get over the UNC hump. We’ve said it in just about every loss this year, but the lack of effort we have seen in the past is now a thing of the past. This wasn’t a moral victory by any sense, but it did give the Buckeyes a gauge of where they stand right now.
The Bad
The Buckeyes didn’t have too many offensive options, which is why it shouldn’t have been such a surprise to see C.J. Jackson jack up 13 shots. There were some bad shots in the bunch, but nobody else was stepping up, which is disappointing for this team. There isn’t enough talent on this team to have everybody stand in the background. Kam Williams took just three shots, and based on his play, you could argue that that was too many. Kaleb Wesson is getting better, but still lacks confidence to go with his first move at times. He’ll get there, and he’s a guy that can be heavily involved in the offense.
[Photo courtesy OhioStateBuckeyes.com]