Ohio State basketball struggles down the stretch in disappointing loss to North Carolina

Down the stretch of the game, the Ohio State Buckeyes started to sputter.

And unfortunately, they had no answer for the issues they started to face.

On Saturday, Dec. 20, the Buckeyes and North Carolina Tar Heels clashed in the CBS Sports Classic in neutral-site play from State Farm Arena. The Buckeyes were outscored heading into halftime, 34-31, but really stepped their game up a notch in the second half, bringing the game close before taking a lead.

The Tar Heels were able to hold standout guard Bruce Thornton to just 16 points on a strugglesome 7-of-16 from the field. Prior to Saturday's game, Thornton was knocking down an impressive clip of 60.2% from the field.

North Carolina focused on locking down Thornton, especially in the second half, pushing a lead to 11 points at one point in time.

But the Buckeyes were able to rally and somehow, someway, take a lead in the final minute of play.

After taking the lead, the Tar Heels, who have just one loss on the young season, weren't going to let themselves add another mark to the loss column. They ramped up the defensive pressure, forcing a big-time turnover and with seven seconds left in the game, 7-footer Henri Veesaar slammed home a dunk for the go-ahead bucket.

Ohio State's game-losing turnover against North Carolina, with only two primary ball handlers on the floor. pic.twitter.com/Xklb5oHiCC
— Views From The Schott Podcast (@TheSchottPod) December 20, 2025

Somehow though, the Buckeyes had two late chances to pull off the upset.

They were able to get the ball into guard John Mobley Jr., who chucked up a three-pointer, missing, before the ball caromed down to forward Devin Royal, who went back up with it. He would be blocked by Caleb Wilson to staple the game shut for a North Carolina win.

Although they did suffer a loss, the 2025-26 season has still looked strong for the Buckeyes. With one more game to go before they leave for a small Christmas break, the team sports an 8-3 overall record while sitting 1-1 in conference play.

They've had some nice wins, including a double-overtime nail-biter just days ago against West Virginia, 89-88. The team's three losses came by scores of 67-66, 88-80 and 71-70, so they're hanging in there each game.

This team's got a high ceiling, and if they can start to rattle off wins against nationally ranked opponents, they might be able to finally get the credit they deserve.

They'll be back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 23, against the Grambling Tigers. The two sides will take on one another at Value City Arena at 2:00 p.m. EST.