NEW YORK -- North Carolina coach Roy Williams said his team didn't get very good leadership during its lackadaisical victory over Valparaiso last Sunday. Obviously, that stuck in senior Marcus Ginyard's craw - and he stuck it to No. 15 Ohio State.
Led by Ginyard's defense, determination and timely buckets, the sixth-ranked Tar Heels (4-0) survived a late-game surge by the Buckeyes, 77-73 Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in their first real test of the season.
They will play Syracuse, which topped No. 13 California in the earlier game, tonight at approximately 7:15 p.m. in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic.
"You saw the whole team pick it up [when Marcus did]," junior guard Will Graves said. "It's just a whole different level, a whole different atmosphere. Marcus always brings it to the table, and if we match his intensity, the sky's the limit."
The Tar Heels, who never trailed, saw their 19-point lead dwindle to as little as 75-73 with 11 seconds left before point guard Larry Drew II - 4-for-8 from the free throw line to that point - buried both foul shots to secure the victory. One of the key buckets to keep UNC ahead during the Buckeyes' surge was a 3-pointer by Ginyard with 1:34 left.
"I knew I had to step it up and play a better game, if anything, just give more effort than I did Sunday," Ginyard said. "And tonight, I think I did a much better job of just being active and just trying to do some things to help my team win out there."
Ginyard, particularly peeved by his performance against Valpo, was particularly intense from the outset. Matched up with OSU wing-turned-point guard Evan Turner, he forced the junior to travel on the Buckeyes' first possession, dived into the Tar Heels' bench to try to get to a loose ball on another, then got a second foul on Turner with 11:30 left in the first half by drawing an offensive charge.
By halftime, Turner - who entered the game averaging 19 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists - had only six points and two rebounds. The Buckeyes (1-2) were shooting 29 percent (and 50 percent from the free throw line).
Meanwhile, Ginyard, who was not being guarded by Turner, had two 3-pointers - the first with 14:05 left in the first half, which gave his team its first double-digit lead (15-5), and the second with 2 seconds left in the first half, giving the Tar Heels a 38-24 lead at the break.
And the Tar Heels, who questioned their own intensity just four days before, fed off his energy.
There was Graves (14 points), mixing drives with his jump shots.
There was Tyler Zeller, giving that extra effort not just to score, but to get fouled, too.
There was Drew (11 points, eight assists), taking a deep breath before burying those two free throws.
Forward Deon Thompson - the other player Williams called out Sunday as needing to "step up and do what leaders do - to get kids to concentrate, to get them to play very hard, to get them to focus and focus on the important things, not on the unimportant things" - did his part, too. Eleven of his 15 points came in the second half; he also had a dozen rebounds.
In the end, Turner finished with 23 points. Jon Diebler added 17 for OSU. The Buckeyes shot 56.7 percent in the second half and made 5 of their 11 3-pointers.
Ginyard finished with 13 points, two assists, three steals - and the unquestioned role of team leader.
"I'll tell you this, I chewed his rear end out on Sunday, probably harder than I've ever gotten on him," Williams said. "And I thought he competed his tail off tonight."
No. 6 NORTH CAROLINA 77,
No. 15 OHIO ST. 73
NORTH CAROLINA (4-0): Graves 6-12 0-1 14, Thompson 4-12 7-8 15, Davis 3-4 1-1 7, Ginyard 4-6 2-2 13, Drew II 2-3 6-10 11, Strickland 0-2 0-0 0, Watts 2-2 0-0 5, Henson 1-3 0-0 2, D.Wear 0-0 0-0 0, T.Wear 2-3 0-0 4, Zeller 2-6 2-3 6. Totals 26-53 18-25 77.
OHIO ST. (2-1): Madsen 1-3 0-0 2, Turner 9-14 5-6 23, Lighty 4-9 1-4 11, Diebler 4-13 6-6 17, Buford 3-16 1-2 8, Simmons 1-2 2-2 4, Hill 2-2 0-0 4, Lauderdale 2-2 0-2 4. Totals 26-61 15-22 73. Halftime-North Carolina 38-24. 3-Point Goals-North Carolina 7-15 (Ginyard 3-5, Graves 2-6, Drew II 1-1, Watts 1-1, Strickland 0-2), Ohio St. 6-21 (Diebler 3-10, Lighty 2-5, Buford 1-5, Simmons 0-1). Fouled Out-Turner. Rebounds-North Carolina 33 (Thompson 12), Ohio St. 37 (Turner 11). Assists-North Carolina 17 (Drew II 8), Ohio St. 10 (Turner 4). Total Fouls-North Carolina 21, Ohio St. 22. Att.-15,635.
