The No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0) will take on the No. 7 North Carolina Tar Heels (6-1) Wednesday night. The game is part of the Big Ten ACC Challenge and will tip off at 9:30 pm. The game will air on ESPN. Ohio State comes into this game off of a win over Morgan State on Friday. The Heels, meanwhile, last played on Friday as well, defeating Oregon 78-74. That win came one day after UNC lost to Michigan 73-64 in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
Opening Tip
Who: No. 6 Ohio State at No. 7 North Carolina
Where: Chapel Hill, NC — Dean Smith Center
When: Wednesday, 9:35 (ESPN)
Why: You wanted big games, now you got ’em.
Line: North Carolina -4
The Buckeyes
Three-Point Territory
+ Ohio State junior CJ Walker has faced North Carolina twice previously. He was 1-1 while playing for Florida State before his transfer to Columbus. In 14 minutes off the bench as a freshman Jan. 14, 2017, he scored six points in a 96-83 loss in Chapel Hill. North Carolina was ranked No. 11 while the Seminoles entered at No. 9 in that game. As a starter Jan. 3, 2018, Walker scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including a 4-of-6 effort from 3-point range. No. 24 Florida State won that game in Tallahassee, 81-80, over the No. 12 Tar Heels.
+ Ohio State and North Carolina have met 14 times with the Tar Heels owning a 12-2 record in those games. No. 6 North Carolina has been ranked among the Top 10 in eight of the last 11 meetings. Ohio State’s last win in the series was an 80-73 win in the 1992 NCAA Midwest Regional in Lexington, Kentucky. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 3 in that game while the Tar Heels were rated No. 18.
SERIES HISTORY WITH NORTH CAROLINA
1/2/29 W North Carolina ……………………………….. 43-30
3/23/46 L 1-North Carolina ……………………………… 57-60
12/6/65 L North Carolina ………………………………… 72-82
12/30/66 L 2-vs. North Carolina ……………………. 82-105(3)
3/22/68 L 3-vs. North Carolina ……………………… 66-80(4)
3/25/83 L 4-vs. North Carolina ……………………… 51-64(8)
3/27/92 W 5-vs. North Carolina ………………… 80(3)-73(18)
12/22/92 L North Carolina …………………………….. 64-84(5)
12/18/93 L @North Carolina ………………………….. 68-81(2)
11/29/06 L 6-@North Carolina……………………. 89(3)-98(7)
11/28/07 L 7-North Carolina ………………………….. 55-66(1)
11/19/09 L 8-North Carolina ………………………… 77-73(15)
12/20/14 L 9-vs. North Carolina ……………… 74(12)-82(24)
12/23/17 L 10-vs. North Carolina …………………… 72-86(5)
1-NCAA Final Four, New York City
2-at Charlotte, N.C.
3-Final Four, Los Angeles, Calif.
4-NCAA East Regionals, Syracuse, N.Y.
5-Midwest Regionals, Lexington, Ky.
6-Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Chapel Hill, N.C.
7-Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Columbus, Ohio
8-2K Sports Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer), New York, N.Y.
9-CBSSports Classic, Chicago
10-CBSSports Classic, New Orleans
(#) Indicates AP ranking at time of game
+ Ohio State has participated in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the last 17 years and has a 6-11 record in the event. The Buckeyes first took part in the event during the 2002-03 season against Duke in Greensboro, N.C., a 91-75 Blue Devils’ victory. Ohio State defeated Virginia Tech in Columbus in 2005-06, 69-59, for its first victory in the event. The 2011 game vs. Duke in Columbus pitted the highest combined ranking of Ohio State (2) and Duke (3) in the Buckeyes’ previous Challenge games. That record was nearly tied in 2012 with the No. 4 Buckeyes traveling to No. 2 Duke. Ohio State was No. 3 and North Carolina came in at No. 7 in the 2006 Challenge. The Buckeyes enter the event this year at No. 6 with the Tar Heels ranked No. 7. Ohio State has faced a ranked ACC opponent 12 times in the Challenge.
THE BUCKEYES IN BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE
12/3/02 vs. No. 4 Duke L 76-91(4)
12/3/03 No. 13 Georgia Tech L 53-73(13)
12/1/04 at Clemson L 73-80
11/28/05 Virginia Tech W 69-59
11/29/06 at No. 7 North Carolina L 89(3)-98(7)
11/29/07 No. 1 North Carolina L 55-66(1)
12/2/08 at No. 21 Miami, Fla. W 73-68(21)
12/2/09 No. 21 Florida State W 77(15)-64(21)
11/30/10 at Florida State W 58(2)-44
11/29/11 No. 3 Duke W 85(2)-63(3)
11/28/12 at No. 2 Duke L 68(4)-73(2)
12/4/13 Maryland W 76(5)-60
12/2/14 at No. 5 Louisville L 55(14)-64(5)
12/1/15 No. 10 Virginia L 58-64(10)
11/30/16 at No. 7 Virginia L 61-63(6)
11/29/17 Clemson L 65-79
11/28/18 Syracuse L 62(16)-72
The North Carolina Tar Heels
What You Need To Know
+ North Carolina has two players from Central Ohio in junior forward Sterling Manley and freshman guard Jeremiah Francis. Neither player has played yet this season due to knee injuries. Francis is the son of former Ohio State Buckeye forward Jerry Francis, who played in the ’80s.
+ Carolina is 18th in offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions) and 19th in defensive efficiency. The Tar Heels are one of four schools in the top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiencies with Michigan State, Louisville and Kansas.
+ Ohio State is second in the country in defensive efficiency at 84.8 (UNC’s next opponent, Virginia, is first at 78.9).
+ Freshman guard Cole Anthony set the UNC record for most points in his first game as a freshman with 34, breaking the previous mark of 28 set by Rashad McCants vs. Penn State on Nov. 18, 2002. The 34 points tied the third most by a Tar Heel freshman in a game. Anthony was the first Tar Heel freshman with 30 points/10 rebounds since Tyler Hansbrough had 40 and 10 vs. Georgia Tech on Feb. 15, 2006.
+ Freshman post player Armando Bacot is a Preseason candidate for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the top post player in the country. Averaging 11.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Leads the team in field goal percentage (.579), rebounding and blocks (13). Has double-doubles in four of the last five games. Leads the ACC and is fourth nationally among freshmen in rebounding. Tied for second in the league in rebounding (all players). Became the third freshman in Carolina history to have three straight double-doubles in points and rebounds with Mike O’Koren in 1976-77 and Antawn Jamison in 1995-96. Is one of eight Tar Heel freshmen to grab 15 or more rebounds in a game and the first since Harrison Barnes had 16 against LIU in 2011. Led all players on both teams with 23 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks vs. Oregon, becoming just the second Tar Heel (and only freshman) to post 23/12/6 in a game (Rasheed Wallace had the same numbers as a sophomore vs. Virginia in 1995).
Five Ohio State Predictions
+ The Buckeyes will hold Cole Anthony under 45% shooting from the field.
+ Duane Washington will hit at least three three-pointers.
+ Kaleb Wesson will lead the Buckeyes in three-point shot attempts.
+ DJ Carton will have more assists than Cole Anthony.
+ Tar Heels by seven.
9:35 start? Why not 8? I go to bed at 9:30.