North Carolina outduels Ohio State in Chicago
Chicago, IL - Brice Johnson had 18 points and nine rebounds in the 24th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels' 82-74 victory over the 12th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at the United Center.
Marcus Paige added 16 points for the Tar Heels (8-3), who have won two in a row since a loss at top-ranked Kentucky on Dec. 13. Justin Jackson tallied 11 points.
Marc Loving ended with 19 points for the Buckeyes (9-2), who had a four-game winning streak snapped. Sam Thompson contributed 17 points.
North Carolina jumped out to a 17-8 lead and never looked back. Ahead 28-21, the Tar Heels went on a 15-6 run that Paige capped with a four-point play for a 43-27 advantage.
Ohio State scored the final four points of the first half to get within 12.
Trailing 64-46 midway through the second half, the Buckeyes put together a 16-6 run. Thompson tallied six points during the surge to help make it a 70-62 contest.
However, Ohio State never got closer than seven the rest of the way.