UNC vs Ohio State Preview

The Tar Heels will face-off against the Buckeyes looking for their first ranked win of the season.

Bob Donnan/USA Today Sports

After returning to the win column with two consecutive victories on their home floor, North Carolina will once again hit the road on Saturday, facing off against No. 23 Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic.

The Buckeyes, who enter the contest at 7-2, have won their last two contests after falling to Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Their last game, which was on Dec. 8th, featured a controversial buzzer beater, where Tanner Holden appeared to step out of bounds before nailing a three-point attempt for the 67-66 win.

Forwards Zed Key (14.3 points) and Brice Sensabaugh (14.1 points) are the two leading scorers for Chris Holtmann's squad that shoots 37 percent from three and 77.5 percent from the charity stripe.

Key also averages a team-high 8.7 rebounds, as Ohio State ranks eighth in the country with a plus-10 rebounding margin over their opponents. 

Guard Isaac Likelele sits second on the roster with 6.3 rebounds per game and leads the way with a team-high 3.1 assists.

While Key is the clear star for the Buckeyes, their production is spread out across a nine-man rotation. Four players score in double figures, six shoot 45 percent from the field or better, and six pull down three or more rebounds.

In North Carolina's 100-67 victory over The Citadel on Tuesday, they put together a complete performance and looked like a team worthy of a top-ten ranking.

The Tar Heels recorded a season-high 24 assists, tallying one on 75 percent of their made baskets.

Armando Bacot set the North Carolina record for 62 games with double-digit rebounds, as he pulled down 11 boards to go along with 14 points.

Caleb Love poured in a game-high 17 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting, while Pete Nance scored 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

Perhaps the most noticeable difference was the ball movement and spacing on the offensive end. The Tar Heels ran their offense through Bacot and made the extra pass, turning good looks into great looks.

Even more impressive was the North Carolina bench, which recorded a season-high 42 points. Freshman Tyler Nickel led the way with a career-high 16 points.

Fellow freshman Seth Trimble added in five assists and three rebounds with Dontrez Styles tallying nine points and six rebounds in 16 minutes of action.

As they head to Madison Square Garden for the first time in over a decade, a Quad 1 opportunity awaits. With an 0-4 record in the prior chances, a win over Ohio State would go a long way in boosting their resume and getting back inside the top-25.

Using the same offensive approach as Tuesday and cleaning up on the glass will help the Tar Heels extend their winning streak to three games.

Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. on CBS.