Ohio State basketball head coach Chris Holtmann reacts to win over UCLA

In case you missed it, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann was pleased with his team’s win over UCLA. #GoBucks

The Ohio State basketball team got back in the win column on Saturday and it was a big one against UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic. The Bruins’ record isn’t one that says it was an outstanding win, but they’ve played some really good teams very close and just haven’t been able to finish things off.

Scoring was at a premium with both teams’ style revolving around really good defense, but OSU was able to win the Donnybrook and improve its record to 9-2 on the season.

Buckeyes’ head coach Chris Holtmann met with the media after the contest to discuss what he saw and was very proud and satisfied with his team’s effort overall in what was a hard-fought, scrappy game.

If you missed any of the head man’s comments, you can catch them here thanks to our friends at the Columbus Dispatch. Have a listen and hear Hotlmann discuss the play of point guard Bruce Thornton, how big of a win he believes it was, Ohio State’s ability to find a way to get the victory, and more.

Ohio State will now prepare to host New Orleans on Thursday before it heads to the Christmas break.

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Cormac Ryan: There’s not an ounce of panic in our locker room

Cormac Ryan speaks with media following UNC basketball’s 87-83 loss to Kentucky. Speaking about what went wrong in the final play.

The North Carolina men’s basketball team lost another crucial match against No. 14 Kentucky as their gauntlet of a schedule continues.

UNC once again proved they could play with the best programs in the nation despite failing to secure the victory. Even with the doubt starting to surface, the moral victories continue to drive the Tar Heels while showcasing to the nation that this team can be dangerous come March with Kentucky coach John Calipari them a final-four level team.

The biggest reason for UNC’s 87-83 loss to Kentucky was the rebounding differential, as the Wildcats won the rebound battle 50-36. However, what kept them in it outside of RJ Davis continuing his scoring dominance, was transfer star [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] coming up big with his best game as a Tar Heel.

Ryan finished with 20 points and four rebounds in 33 minutes of action. Fans had been hoping the transfer could get out of the shooting funk he has been in, so it was a fresh site to see his impact on full display.

Following the loss, Ryan met with the media alongside Davis (RJ) to speak about what went wrong for the final drawn-up play.

“Sometimes you come out of the huddle, and things go differently it is what it is,” Ryan said. “We pick each other up and stay together. We have a lot of faith we are going to execute the late-game situations. Sometimes you gotta play a good team in a tough environment early in the season to find out you have work to do. To finish out games. There’s nobody in the locker room who has more faith in us than Coach Davis to execute our plays. We not going to in specifics of the play, because we going to run it again and win the ball game next time.”

Cormac also spoke about bouncing back after the loss with the team focused on Wednesday’s matchup against Oklahoma.

“We are excited we get to play another great opponent on Wednesday and there’s not an ounce of panic in our locker room. We are confident in our group. We know how good we can be.”

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Photos of Ohio State basketball’s win over UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic

A big one for the Buckeyes over UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic. #GoBucks

It was a fun Saturday in Atlanta with the latest installment of the annual CBS Sports Classic, and Ohio State was more than willing to add to the environment.

It was a bit of a rock fight between the UCLA Bruins and the the Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon, but it still made for a physical, entertaining — albeit low scoring — game. OSU was ultimately able to get some mild breathing room at just the right time close to the end of a game for a 67-60 victory.

The event has become one of the best on Ohio State’s schedule, and it made for some fantastic photos that we are here to share with you. Here are some of the best high-resolution pictures of the Buckeyes’ win over the Bruins on Saturday.

Five takeaways from Ohio State’s win over UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic

What did you takeaway from the Buckeyes neutral site win over UCLA? Here’s how we saw things. #GoBucks

It wasn’t an easy game for Ohio State men’s basketball team, but it grinded out a win over UCLA, 67-60 in the CBS Sports Classic game in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Buckeyes struggled to shoot all game long, but did enough in the second half to get win No. 9 on the year. Head coach Chris Holtmann saw his team trailing by a point, 23-22, after the first 20 minutes. The Buckeyes turned that around in the second half, getting back to its regular scoring style with 45 in the second stanza.

There was plenty to learn about this Ohio State basketball win. Find out below my biggest takeaways from the neutral site win over UCLA.

Ohio State beats UCLA in CBS Sports Classic

Sometimes you have to simply find a way. #GoBucks

The Ohio State basketball team needed to rebound from a heartbreaking loss on the road vs. Penn State the last time out, and it got it with a hard-fought 67-60 win over the UCLA Bruins in the annual CBS Sports Classic on Saturday.

The game was nip and tuck pretty much all the way with the lead never getting over five points until the last two minutes of the contest when the Buckeyes went up by six with on a Felix Okpara free throw.

It wasn’t a pretty game, with a slower tempo and neither team shooting the ball particularly well. The score was just 23-22 in favor of the Bruins at halftime, but OSU picked up the pace just a bit in the second half.

Ohio State struggle from the 3-point line, shooting just 1-of-15 from deep, the make coming with under one minute left by Jamison Battle with the shot clock running down and OSU up by just three points. But OSU found a way.

Things remained tight throughout the second half, but the Buckeyes were able to make enough plays and hit their free throws to get a huge, neutral court win.

Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports

Roddy Gayle Jr. led Ohio State with 19 points on 6-of-11 attempts. He had a great day at the free throw line, making 7-of-8 and making big ones at the end. Three other OSU players scored in double figures for a balanced effort. Battle tallied 14, Bruce Thornton poured in 13, and big man, Felix Okpara, notched 10 points.

With the win, OSU runs its record to 9-0 overall and remains 1-1 in the Big Ten. It’s next contest

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How to watch Saturday’s UNC-Kentucky basketball game

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s matchup between the UNC basketball program and Kentucky.

The North Carolina men’s basketball team continues their gauntlet of non-conference matches with a Saturday night game against No. 14 Kentucky.

UNC will be playing on neutral ground as they travel to Atlanta Georgia for the CBS Sports classic. This meeting has been circled on every college hoop fan calendar since after it was announced the two blue bloods would tip off against each other in 2021.

The Tar Heels are off to a great start this season, ranked No. 9 on the Associated Press Poll, largely due to their high-powered offense led by RJ Davis. Kentucky is another strong opponent that will only help UNC in the long run, especially if they can capture the win.

Let’s take a look at how to watch Saturday’s game.

UNC-KENTUCKY, RADIO, AND STREAMING INFORMATION

WHAT: North Carolina (7-2, 1-0ACC) vs. Kentucky (7-2, 0-0)

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 16 at 5:30 p.m. ET

LOCATION: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Ga.

TV: ESPN (Watch and stream the game live on ESPN)

SATELLITE RADIO: SiriusXM (81 or 193)

WEBSITE: WatchESPN

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UNC to play Kentucky in Atlanta in the CBS Sports Classic

The North Carolina Tar Heels will take on Kentucky in Atlanta, Georgia, for the CBS Sports Classic.

The North Carolina men’s basketball program has slowly announced some of its opponents for this upcoming season, and now we can add Kentucky to the list.

The school announced Tuesday that the Tar Heels will take on the Wildcats on December 16th in Atlanta, Georgia. The two teams will face off for the 10th annual CBS Sports Classic, with an approximate tip-off time of 5:30. CBS will broadcast the event while simultaneously being streamed on Paramount+.

UNC has had its fair share of success in the CBS Sports Classic, heading into this meeting with a 6-3 record.

 

Last season, the Heels took down Ohio State in New York, erupting Madison Square Garden with an 89-84 win in overtime. This game will be the 43rd meeting between the Tar Heels and Wildcats, with UNC leading the series 25-17.

North Carolina calendar is filling up with notable teams, giving UNC a good shot at a high seed come March Madness if they can capitalize.

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Ohio State basketball opponent for 2023 CBS Sports Classic announced

This should be a fun time. Get the travel plans ready or mark the calendar. #GoBucks

There’s been a whirlwind of news swirling with college football, but remember, basketball is a part of all of this conference expansion. The Big Ten will be an eighteen-team member in 2024, but before that, the Ohio State basketball team will take part in one last conference season with the current fourteen-team league.

Part of that schedule involves the CBS Sports Classic, but the opponent had yet to be officially announced. That is, until Tuesday. According to a release from the OSU athletic department, the Buckeyes’ opponent in the annual four-team event that involves Ohio State, Kentucky, North Carolina, and UCLA, will be the Bruins. That means one more year of the blueblood of the sport no longer being a nonconference foe.

Playing UCLA is not a surprise. The rumors and tea leaves had pointed towards that being the opponent down in Atlanta this year. That of course means that Kentucky and North Carolina will do battle in the other matchup set to take place on Saturday, Dec. 16. OSU and UCLA will tip off at 3 p.m. ET, with the Tarheels and Wildcats shortly following the conclusion of Game 1.

Ohio State is a modest 4-4 in the CBS Sports Classic and holds a 2-1 record against UCLA in the event. It’ll be the 13th overall meeting between the two programs (with many, many more to come in the future), with the two programs battling to a stalemate against each other at 6-6 all-time.

Also according to the release from Ohio State, this year, fans will have the opportunity to purchase official fan travel packages for the CBS Sports Classic. That package includes game tickets, hotel accommodations in downtown Atlanta, and in-arena hospitality at State Farm Arena. These travel packages will go on sale on earlier than other tickets on August 16. Tickets for the general public will go on sale on August 24 at www.cbssportsclassic.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

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Ohio State vs. UNC hoops contest in CBS Sports Classic tipoff time set

Set your calendars, and maybe your travel plans if you ever needed an excuse to go to New York. #GoBucks

It was announced earlier this year that Ohio State basketball would take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in the annual CBS Sports Classic, but a definitive tip-off time was yet to be determined.

Until now.

According to a release from the OSU athletic department on Thursday, the Buckeyes and Tar Heels will face each other Friday, December 17, at 3 pm ET in Madison Square Garden. That game will be followed by Kentucky vs. UCLA immediately after.

In addition to that, it was also announced that the CBS Sports Classic, an annual event featuring Ohio State, Kentucky, North Carolina, and UCLA, will be extended for three more years, through 2026. That is welcome news because it was unknown how the announced additions of UCLA and USC to the Big Ten would impact the event. The same four teams have been a part of the format that rotates around the country since 2014.

If you are looking for a reason to visit the Big Apple, tickets for the CBS Sports Classic will go on sale sometime in August. Fans can register to receive direct email alerts at http://www.cbssportsclassic.com/tickets. Registering ahead of time will allow for a presale event before the rest of the public can purchase.

This year’s event will mark the eighth time Ohio State has taken part. The Buckeyes own a 4-3 record. It’ll be the third matchup with North Carolina in this format, with the Tar Heels winning the first two (in 2014 and 2017). It’ll be the sixteenth overall meeting between the two programs with UNC holding a 12-3 advantage, though OSU won in dominating fashion 74-49 in the Dean Dome back in 2019.

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Ohio State basketball learns opponent and world-famous venue for this year’s CBS Sports Classic

Ohio State hoops knows its opponent and venue for this year’s CBS Sports Classic.

The CBS Sports Classic is still going strong. After missing out on last year’s event because of a rise in COVID-19 cases, Ohio State will play North Carolina in this year’s event. And this time, it’ll be in the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden on December 17. Stadium’s Jeff Goodman first reported the news.

The CBS Sports Classic has been in place since 2014. It pits Ohio State, UCLA, North Carolina, and Kentucky in a four-team event with teams rotating around to play one game against another each year.

The Buckeyes were set to play the Wildcats last season but both that game and the North Carolina vs. UCLA game were shelved because of pandemic issues within the OSU and UCLA programs. Kentucky ended up facing North Carolina in a quick shell game to allow at least one game.

The Buckeyes are 4-3 all-time in the event and hold a 0-2 record against the Tar Heels in the four-team format. Ohio State is just 2-11 against North Carolina all time but won the last matchup between the two programs 74-49 in Chapel Hill back in 2019.

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