Well, that was entertaining.
Ohio State traveled to the Big Apple to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in the CBS Sports Classic, and it was just that, a game that went into overtime but ended in an 89-84 loss for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State controlled most of the game as it took a lead midway through the first half, rolled out to a double-digit lead, and went into the locker room up 44-35 when Justice Suing nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. From there, Ohio State continued to keep its distance for most of the second half until North Carolina made a run with a full-court press and free throw shooting.
The Tar Heels finally tied the game at 77-77, and it looked like Ohio State had won it when freshman Brice Sensabaugh hit an off-the-dribble pull-up with two seconds left to give the Buckeyes a 79-77 lead.
Carolina was able to get a pass across halfcourt and called timeout though with 1.7 seconds left, then drew up a play to isolate Larry Nance, who sunk a turnaround shot at the buzzer to send it to overtime. From there, North Carolina seemed energized and was able to make enough plays on both ends of the court to come away the winner.
Sensabaugh led the Buckeyes with 22 points. Bruce Thorton had 17, Justice Sueing poured in 16, and Zed Key chipped in 11 to pace OSU on the offensive end.
Tough battle in the Garden.
Final/OT
OSU: 8️⃣4️⃣
UNC: 8️⃣9️⃣ pic.twitter.com/Fncr1F7pUp— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 17, 2022
The game was essentially lost at the free-throw line and the inability to stay poised down the stretch. The Tar Heels went to the line 27 times to just 14 for the Buckeyes. Normally a very good free throw shooting team, Ohio made just seven of its attempts and missed a couple of key ones down the stretch that would have changed the outcome. OSU also turned the ball over 16 times, far too many to expect to close out a game against a talented team like North Carolina.
With the loss, Ohio State drops to 7-3 on the year and will now prepare to host Maine on Wednesday.
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