Ohio State's first matchup against a team that played in last season's national championship didn't go so well for the Buckeyes, as the Scarlet and Gray were rolled by Gonzaga, 86-59, in the PK80 Invitational.
| Who | Where | When | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 North Carolina (10-2) | Smoothie King Center | 1:30 p.m. | CBS |
Now, the Buckeyes are set to take on the team that won last year's national title, North Carolina.
The Tar Heels are coming off of a shocking, 79-75 loss to Wofford at home on Wednesday, a game in which North Carolina trailed by as many as 14.
Despite the loss, Chris Holtmann said he expects Roy Williams' squad to come out swinging against the Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon.
"Obviously, North Carolina is really good. There is a reason they are the No. 5 team in the country. I think they can clearly make another Final Four run," Holtmann said Thursday. "I think last night was a unique game in and of itself. They can be really explosive."
Saturday's game, part of the fourth annual CBSSports Classic, is nothing new for the Buckeyes, who are 1-2 in the showcase with its lone win coming against Kentucky in 2015.
For Jae'Sean Tate, the experience of playing in a game on a national scale is nothing new, but it presents a unique opportunity.
"It's just another opportunity to compete against one of the best programs in the world," Tate said. "We are fortunate, but it's always an opportunity to play the game you love and have so many people watching and have people around the world locked in."
Opponent Breakdown
The Tar Heels feature a few players in their lineup from the team that won a national title a season ago, and are led by guard Joel Berry and forward Luke Maye.
Maye leads North Carolina in scoring this season (19.3 points per game) and is best remembered for his game-winning shot in the 2017 Elite Eight that pushed the Tar Heels past Kentucky. Maye is coming off of a tough shooting night in which he converted only 4-of-16 shots from the floor in Wednesday night's upset loss to Wofford.
Against Holtmann's Butler team a season ago, Maye scored 16 points in 25 minutes off the bench for North Carolina in a 92-80 win in the Sweet 16 in what would be Holtmann's final game as the Bulldogs' head coach.
"Last year, Maye really hurt us. He hurt a couple of teams there late in the year and he really hurt us last year," Holtmann said. "He was coming into his own at the time."
Berry is also a dominant force for the Tar Heels, both offensively and defensively. The senior guard scored 22 points in the national title game a season ago and is averaging 17.1 points per game this season, while also leading North Carolina in free throw percentage (88.7 percent).
Berry's athleticism at guard, combined with the length of 6-foot-4 guard Kenny Williams and 6-foot-6 swing player Theo Pinson, provides a challenge for Ohio State offensively, as the Tar Heels like to press their opponents often. Holtmann said North Carolina's pressure will be the toughest challenge the Buckeyes have faced yet this season.
"I don't know that we have seen this level of pressure and size and athleticism at all this year. We have not seen that defensive pressure, length, size across the board," Holtmann said. "That is going to be a real challenge for us after not having faced anything similar to that."
Buckeye Breakdown
Going into a game that could be categorized as an early season-defining game for Ohio State, the Buckeyes are approaching every game as a big game.
So far, Ohio State hasn't suffered the catastrophic loss like it has the last two seasons (Florida Atlantic, UT Arlington), and much of that has been due to Holtmann's approach of taking the season one game at a time.
Even with the defending national champs up next, Holtmann said he doesn't plan on approaching this game any different in terms of addressing his team.
"They are all big for us," Holtmann said. "Guys understand the caliber of team we are playing. They understand that. So what we are trying to get focused in on as much as possible is just the idea of staying in the moment, being committed to doing your job, being focused on what's being asked of you to do, and then just cutting loose and playing with aggressiveness and freedom."
Ohio State has found a variety of ways to win games this season and has also used a number of different lineups to get those wins.
The Buckeyes have mixed and matched lineups all season, with Tate and Keita Bates-Diop being the only two players to start each game this season. With a longer, more athletic North Carolina group sharing the court with Ohio State, it's likely that Musa Jallow will start against the Tar Heels because of his ability to guard multiple positions.
While Jallow has struggled to find his offense so far this season, Holtmann said following a win over The Citadel that Jallow's defensive ability is what earned him a start against the Bulldogs, even after Kam Williams had strung together a number of solid performances.
"I think Kam is in a great rhythm offensively, but I am searching for some defensive consistency out of that position," Holtmann said. "Musa has to improve in some areas on the offensive end, so we are searching a little bit for that position."
In the post, Ohio State has Micah Potter and Kyle Young back in the rotation after they both missed time with ankle injuries. Holtmann admitted that Potter especially is still shaking off some rust, and that he will have to earn his minutes back, though he will still be in the rotation.
How It Plays Out
North Carolina is coming off of an embarrassing loss to Wofford and shares two common opponents with Ohio State so far this season in Stanford and Michigan. The Tar Heels defeated the Cardinal, 96-72, and rolled the Wolverines, 86-71, at one point leading by as many as 29 in the second half.
Roy Williams' squad comes into the game ranked No. 12 in Ken Pomeroy's advanced statistical rating system, while Ohio State checks in at No. 45.
Ohio State has shown improvement since its 1-2 trip to Portland, Ore. in the PK80 Invitational, but defeating the defending national champs will prove to be a tough task, even at a neutral site.
Prediction: North Carolina 73, Ohio State 61
