University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: J.D. Lyon Jr.
Know Your Opponent: Ohio State
December 4, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
By Bobby Hundley
Ohio State (OhioStateBuckeyes.com)
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Rankings: No. 3 KenPom, No. 6 AP
Record: 7-0
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 12-2 (Carolina 86, Ohio State 72, Dec. 23, 2017, New Orleans)
Ohio State's first venture outside of Columbus comes Wednesday night when the Buckeyes travel to Chapel Hill for the first time since the epic 98-89 shootout with Carolina in 2006. Chris Holtmann's club has outscored opponents by nearly 26 points per game, including a comprehensive 76-51 beatdown of Villanova on Nov. 13.
Kaleb Wesson has been one of the best players in the country and leads three Buckeyes who score in double figures. A 6-9 forward with 3-point range, Wesson has shed almost 50 pounds since high school and is poised to be an NBA draft pick this summer after testing the waters following his sophomore campaign. Sophomore Duane Washington (10.1 ppg) and freshman D.J. Carton (10.4 ppg) join Wesson as double-figure scorers, with Washington making a team-best 52 percent of his 3s through seven games.
OSU's nation-leading scoring margin has allowed Holtmann to play a ton of guys - a whopping 10 Buckeyes are averaging at least 13 minutes per contest. And while the Ohio State offense has been plenty impressive, it's the Buckeye defense that has been truly elite. OSU ranks second nationally in both adjusted defensive efficiency and effective FG% defense according to KenPom, and none of its seven opponents has scored more than 57 points. Cincinnati's 0.86 points per possession is the best showing against the methodical Buckeyes to date.
Ohio State snuck into the NCAA tournament as an 11-seed with 19 wins a year ago. The Buckeyes knocked off No. 6 seed Iowa State in the first round but fell to Houston to come up short of the second weekend. This year's OSU team has designs on making it back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013, and a win Wednesday in Chapel Hill (with a shot at Kentucky coming in Las Vegas later this month) would go a long way toward securing a high seed come March.
Ohio State (OhioStateBuckeyes.com)
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Rankings: No. 3 KenPom, No. 6 AP
Record: 7-0
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 12-2 (Carolina 86, Ohio State 72, Dec. 23, 2017, New Orleans)
Ohio State's first venture outside of Columbus comes Wednesday night when the Buckeyes travel to Chapel Hill for the first time since the epic 98-89 shootout with Carolina in 2006. Chris Holtmann's club has outscored opponents by nearly 26 points per game, including a comprehensive 76-51 beatdown of Villanova on Nov. 13.
Kaleb Wesson has been one of the best players in the country and leads three Buckeyes who score in double figures. A 6-9 forward with 3-point range, Wesson has shed almost 50 pounds since high school and is poised to be an NBA draft pick this summer after testing the waters following his sophomore campaign. Sophomore Duane Washington (10.1 ppg) and freshman D.J. Carton (10.4 ppg) join Wesson as double-figure scorers, with Washington making a team-best 52 percent of his 3s through seven games.
OSU's nation-leading scoring margin has allowed Holtmann to play a ton of guys - a whopping 10 Buckeyes are averaging at least 13 minutes per contest. And while the Ohio State offense has been plenty impressive, it's the Buckeye defense that has been truly elite. OSU ranks second nationally in both adjusted defensive efficiency and effective FG% defense according to KenPom, and none of its seven opponents has scored more than 57 points. Cincinnati's 0.86 points per possession is the best showing against the methodical Buckeyes to date.
Ohio State snuck into the NCAA tournament as an 11-seed with 19 wins a year ago. The Buckeyes knocked off No. 6 seed Iowa State in the first round but fell to Houston to come up short of the second weekend. This year's OSU team has designs on making it back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013, and a win Wednesday in Chapel Hill (with a shot at Kentucky coming in Las Vegas later this month) would go a long way toward securing a high seed come March.
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