Defending National Champion Tar Heels Survive Against Buckeyes, 77-73
The fourth ranked North Carolina Tar Heels nearly blew a 19-point second half lead but ultimately hung on to defeat the 15th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
With just over 10 minutes left to play in the second half of Thursday night's 2K Sports Classic semifinal, the defending national champion North Carolina Tar Heels led the 15th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes by 19 points. Although it appeared at the time that their lead was insurmountable, the Buckeyes mounted a valiant comeback to cut the lead to two points with under a minute to play. However, two clutch free throws by point guard Larry Drew II with just eleven seconds remaining effectively sealed the game for the 4th ranked Tar Heels as they escaped with a 77-73 victory.
Drew II, who has replaced the MVP of last year's Final Four and 2009 first round draft pick of the Denver Nuggets Ty Lawson as North Carolina's point guard, missed four free throws in the game's final minute before collecting himself to make the two that were the most significant. North Carolina forward Deon Thompson, who is the lone returning starter from last year's National Championship team, added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Ohio State swingman Evan Turner led the furious Ohio State comeback in the second half, recording a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. However, the stifling defense he faced from North Carolina guard Marcus Ginyard forced him into a game-high 10 turnovers.
