The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Buckeyes’ cold hand deals another loss
CHICAGO — Ohio State has played two ranked teams and lost each time. Coach Thad Matta thinks that’s a good reminder of how far the Buckeyes have to go.
Marc Loving made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points, but No. 12 Ohio State shot 35 percent from the field in an 82-74 loss to No. 24 North Carolina on Saturday. The Buckeyes had won four in a row since they shot 30 percent in a 64-55 loss at No. 4 Louisville on Dec. 2.
“We’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror and say, ‘Hey, we’re not there yet,’ which is fine, but we’ve got to look at all the little things that we have to do to get better and get that established,” Matta said. “Knowing that it’s, I don’t want to say it’s early, but it’s still December.”
We’ve got January, February, March still to play basketball.
“How much better can we get in that time?”
Sam Thompson scored 17 for Ohio State (9-2), and D’Angelo Russell had 11 points and eight rebounds. The Buckeyes were averaging 84.2 points and shooting 53.7 percent coming into the day.
“That’s one of the best defenses in the country. And you look at the size ... you’re going to have to make some tough shots in order to beat those guys just in terms of their length,” Matta said.
Brice Johnson had 18 points for North Carolina (8-3) on 8-for-10 shooting. Marcus Paige added 16 points, and Kennedy Meeks finished with eight points, 13 boards and two blocked shots.
Johnson also had nine rebounds, helping North Carolina to a 53-40 rebounding advantage in the opener of a college basketball doubleheader at the home of the Bulls and NHL’s Blackhawks.
Johnson and Meeks “have done a great job this year of being an inside presence,” Paige said. “We wanted Kennedy to finish a little stronger around the basket today, but Brice was great.”