UNC vs. Ohio State: Score and Twitter Reaction for CBS Sports Classic 2014

North Carolina earned perhaps its biggest win of the season with an 82-74 victory over Ohio State at the CBS Sports Classic in Chicago.

Like they did in the loss to Louisville, the Buckeyes fought hard to turn a potential blowout into a respectable final. Still, there was just not enough time to make up a 17-point deficit and the Tar Heels were able to hold on for the win.

Brice Johnson led the way for North Carolina, finishing with a team-high 18 points to go with nine rebounds. Kennedy Meeks also added eight points and 13 boards to complete a big day for the frontcourt.

Marcus Paige helped out with 16 points, but his 4-of-12 shooting from the floor shows that his early-season struggles are not behind him.

D'Angelo Russell could relate with the poor shooting with his 4-of-17 day, although he still ended up with 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in the losing effort. Marc Loving led the Buckeyes with 19 points on the day.

The major difference between these teams came in the battle on the glass. North Carolina won the rebounding battle 53-49, and the second-chance opportunities led to a successful day on the offensive end.

ESPN's Jeff Goodman explained before the game why this matchup could lead to a poor offensive day for North Carolina:

However, the Tar Heels didn't need to worry about its outside shooting because they were able to do whatever they wanted in the paint. Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports gave his impression on the Buckeyes' interior defense:

"

Man, Ohio State’s interior play has been an absolute dumpster fire. Need to figure out a way to control the glass.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) December 20, 2014"

The high-percentage shots helped North Carolina score consistently and build up a significant lead before the first half ended. Andrew Carter of the Charlotte Observer broke down what was going well:

By halftime, the squad was up by a score of 43-31 while outrebounding Ohio State 24-14. 

The action started to pick up for both sides as the second half began with a much quicker pace. Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller joked about the change in tempo:

However, this led to even more problems for Ohio State as the squad remained extremely reliant on the outside shot, as described by Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated:

Still, the Buckeyes were not going away that easily. After settling for nothing but three-pointers, they finally started to drive to the basket and get to the free-throw line. 

Clark Kellogg of CBS Sports gave his impression while rooting along:

The lead dwindled down to single digits with just a few minutes remaining and Ohio State certainly had confidence, as seen by Shae Peppler of Campus Insiders:

With North Carolina struggling to make free throws down the stretch, it seemed possible the comeback would be completed. Unfortunately for Thad Matta's squad, it could not climb all the way back to end up with another close loss against a top opponent.

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Although a defeat to a team like this is not usually concerning, the lack of quality foes over the past month hurts Ohio State's perception, as discussed by Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports:

On the other hand, North Carolina has to be happy to put a big win on its own resume. Earlier in the week, North Carolina coach Roy Williams discussed his need to get meaner with the players to get them tougher. He explained:

"

The question about our effort and our toughness is something I'm concerned about. I really am. Am I concerned about the quality of our kids? Not at all. ... I'd let every one of my players be a baby sitter for my grandsons. They can't get any better than that. But we've got to get tougher on the basketball court, mentally probably more so than physically.

"

As Seth Davis of CBS Sports explained, the difference was noticeable Saturday:

Beating a quality opponent and surviving a comeback test shows the players are at least heading in the right direction.

Each team now has a few more games before kicking off the conference schedule. Ohio State will have a quick turnaround, playing Monday at home against Miami (OH) before taking on another in-state opponent in Wright State. 

North Carolina will also have a pair of home games with matchups against UAB and William and Mary. Both squads will want to make sure they use these games as a way to work out all of the problems before the pressure starts to ramp up in January.

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