Ohio State basketball looks to continue momentum on Saturday against North Carolina

The Ohio State Men's Buckeyes (8-2) head to Atlanta on Saturday where they will face the 12th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (10-1) in the second game of the CBS Sports Classic. Coming off of a 89-88 double overtime win over West Virginia, the Buckeyes have a perfect opportunity to continue their momentum but it won't be easy.

With the Buckeyes erasing a 14-point deficit in the second half last Saturday, they hope to avoid a large deficit this time around. But unfortunately, the Tar Heels come into this week's matchup as the No. 12 team in the country having just one loss on the season.

To add on, UNC is ranked as the tallest team in the nation. Their toughest battles being surrounded three big men, Henri Veesaar (7-foot), Jarin Stevenson (6 foot-10), and freshman phenom Caleb Wilson (6-foot 10).

Wilson is impressively averaging a double-double as he leads the Tar Heels in both points (19.5) and rebounds (10.4). Veesaar is second on the team in both points (16.9) and rebounds (9.1). While Stevenson is not as effective as the first two, the junior is averaging 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. It's also important to note that the 7-foot Center is coming off a career-high 26 points with eight rebounds to go along with it on Tuesday night over Eastern Tennessee State.

Christoph Tilly should be able to handle Veesaar defensively for the most part, but the question for this Saturday is whether or not he can show up offensively. Devin Royal is going to have his hands full defesively, and he may not be very liable on the other end. The key matchup is really between A'mare Bynum and Wilson. Luckily for Bynum, he is coming off his best performance of the season in which he finished with a career-high 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three blocks.

Per Kenpom, UNC has the 36th ranked offense to go along with their 24th ranked defense. While Ohio State has the 39th ranked offense and the 54th ranked defense. It's not a great sign for OSU who is already going up against a size disadvantage.

Due to that, the Buckeyes are going to have to rely on their two starting guards, Bruce Thornton and John Mobley. Thornton is coming off a 21-point performance in which he played 49 minutes as he walked away with the game-winning shot in double overtime. The senior knows how important this upcoming matchup against North Carolina really is as he told Ohio State beat reporter, Adam Jardy.

#OhioState guard Bruce Thornton, on playing North Carolina this weekend: "This is why I came to Ohio State, to play in these types of games."
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) December 18, 2025

The Buckeyes could really use more consistency from Mobley who is going through a dip in three-point percentage this season. While still averaging 13.8 points per game, the sophomore is shooting just 35.9% from deep compared to 38.5% his freshman year.

Both teams enter the game with four players averaging double digits in points. But North Carolina has been without their key starting point guard, Seth Trimble who was averaging 14.5 points, five rebounds, and 3.5 assists in just two games prior to his injury, With reports of him returning to practice over the last week, it's very possible his return to game action is against Ohio State.

The two teams are closer than expected stat wise. Per game, UNC averages 80.7 points, 64.1 points against, 47% from the field, 42.1 rebounds, 16.5 assists, 4 blocks, and 5.4 steals. While OSU averages 87.6 points, 72.9 points against, 51% from the field, 37.3 rebounds, 17.1 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 5.3 steals.

It ultimately comes down to the depth of both teams, and if the Buckeyes can limit the dominance from the Tar Heels big men. But if Trimble is also back for North Carolina, it may be too much for Ohio State to handle.