Before every Ohio State men’s basketball game, Connor Lemons gets you ready for that day’s action with key stats, players to know, and prevalent storylines for that day’s game on the “Good Hoops Morning” podcast.
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No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels (-2.5) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes| over/under 152.5
Game Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 20 at 3:00 p.m. ET
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
TV: CBS
Radio: 97.1 FM/ 971thefan.com
Sitting at 8-2,
Ohio State is in Atlanta this afternoon looking for the program’s first win over North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic. Despite a good overall record in the event, the Buckeyes are 0-3 against the Tar Heels, most recently losing to Carolina during the 2022 CBS Sports Classic.
To win, Ohio State will have to overcome North Carolina’s abnormally tall lineup, with three starters measuring 6-foot-10 or taller. North Carolina is a strong rebounding team that will try to secure offensive rebounds and limit Ohio State’s possessions, much like Pitt did last month — the Panthers wound up taking 15 more shots than the Buckeyes, and won by one point.
North Carolina is expected to have senior guard Seth Trimble back in the lineup for the first time since breaking his wrist in a freak weight room accident in early November. In two games this season, Trimble is averaging 14,5 points per game on 44% shooting.
Ohio State has shot 28.8% from three-point range over the last four games, and will need to improve on that mark considerably on Saturday if they want a chance to upset the 12th-ranked Tar Heels.
Connor’s prediction: North Carolina 79, Ohio State 73
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
