Tar Heels rebound with win

NEW ORLEANS — Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson viewed North Carolina’s recent upset loss to Wofford as a test of their leadership on the basketball court.

The seniors provided a convincing response Saturday during a neutral-site, made-for-TV matchup against Ohio State.

Berry and Pinson each scored 19 points, and No. 5 North Carolina bounced back with an 86-72 victory over the Buckeyes in the CBS Sports Classic. Wofford, from the Southern Conference, had knocked off the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Tar Heels 79-75 Wednesday in Chapel Hill, ending their home winning streak at 23 games.

“Any team should have a great amount of focus after a loss,” Pinson said. “I was just ready to come out and step up for my teammates.”

Pinson scored six points on flawless free throws inside the final 1:06 of the game as the Tar Heels (11-2) kept the Buckeyes (10-4) at bay.

“We’ve got veteran guys who know we can’t sulk,” Pinson said. “We need to move on to the next game, but at the same time keep that loss in our minds.”

Cameron Johnson — a graduate transfer from Pittsburgh whose recent debut was delayed by injuries — scored 13 points in just his second game for North Carolina, which made 13 3-pointers.

Keita Bates-Diop had 26 points — one point shy of his career high — for Ohio State. He shot 10-of-17 for the game and scored 19 points in the second half, including eight straight for Ohio State during a late 13-4 run that pulled the Buckeyes within 78-69 with 1:10 to play.

In the first half, Bates-Diop played just eight minutes because of a couple of quick fouls, and that helped Carolina take its first double-digit lead before halftime.

“When you’re losing a guy as important to us as Keita is, you’re going to feel it, and we felt it,” said Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann, who was called for a technical foul during the first half. “I’m sure that was a factor in them stretching the lead.”

C.J. Jackson scored the first 11 points for Ohio State before finishing with 19 for the game.