Three things we learned from Ohio State's loss to North Carolina

Ohio State basketball traveled to Atlanta and staged a classic game against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday, but came up a whisker short in a 71-10 loss that can leave us only thinking "what-if."

It was a good battle by the Buckeyes, no matter the outcome, but it sure would have been a great result when looking at the body of work Ohio State is trying to put together for its postseason plans. Instead, it's the second nip-and-tuck loss of the season for OSU, and now it has to figure out a way to pull these types of games out.

We like to look back on Ohio State basketball games and see what we can take away as things we learned about this team, and we'll do the same after this one. There are a lot of encouraging things as observations, but there are no moral victories when it comes to winning and losing in college basketball, and that's just the reality.

Here are three things we think we learned about Ohio State after its heartbreaking loss to North Carolina on Saturday afternoon.

We should be encouraged by what Ohio State is showing

Early on in the season -- heck, early on in the second half the last time out against West Virginia, there were some serious doubts on the direction of this team. It looked tentative and disorganized in falling down by 16 points. It was beginning to look like a trend. But then, the comeback started, and with it some momentum, perhaps for the season.

That was followed up with this showing against the No. 12-ranked team in the country, one that has more athleticism and length than any Ohio State has faced so far this year. We must remember this was still a loss, and that's not the result anyone wants anytime out, but there was fight in this team once again after falling behind. The rotations seem to be getting better, and the guys are beginning to play more cohesively.

Hopefully, this positive direction continues because if it does, there is hope that the 2025-26 Buckeyes can still make some noise this season in the Big Ten and beyond.

Ohio State crticial possessions and situations have to be better

Ohio State's game-losing turnover against North Carolina, with only two primary ball handlers on the floor. pic.twitter.com/Xklb5oHiCC

— Views From The Schott Podcast (@TheSchottPod) December 20, 2025

Now for the bad. Ohio State should have won this game. It was up by three points with 48 seconds left. ESPN's win probability gave the Buckeyes a 81.1% chance of winning at that point. But then, OSU allowed a layup, then, after a timeout, the setup against what was sure to be a full-court press was not good. There were too many guys in the frontcourt cluttering things up, and that resulted in not enough passing lanes and too much dribbling against the press with only two primary ball handlers in the game. In the end, a poor judgment pass was intercepted, and Carolina had the ball coming back the other way. The Tar Heels converted, and OSU had to try to pull out of an unfavorable situation.

Then, on the last play, the cuts weren't hard enough, there weren't enough options, and Ohio State had to inbounds the ball deep in the backcourt, and the best it could get off was a 26-footer that had little chance of going in. Against Pittsburgh in Cleveland, Ohio State didn't put anyone on the inbounds play and allowed an easy pass to get all the way to halfcourt with little time left. Pitt hit the game-winner because it got a better shot than the situation would have normally allowed.

Whether it was execution or scheme, those types of critical situations have to be better, and it's a trend we've seen from this team ever since Chris Holtmann became the head coach. The Buckeyes now have two losses that should have been two wins, and that could be a problem come tournament resumé time.

The Ohio State bench has to contribute more

This was the Ohio State bench production in a one point loss to UNC. Ouch. 😣 pic.twitter.com/Q8kVr088Um

— Scotty Vegas (@Scottyvegas971) December 20, 2025

Guess how many points Ohio State got from its bench? If you like donuts and Cheerios, then you're going to like the fact that the Buckeyes got exactly zero points from their subs. Yes, zero! Part of it is because Amare Bynum was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time, but that was the right move and makes this team better.

All five starters finished in double figures, but there have to be more contributions from the bench. Forward Brandon Noel's production is sliding now that the competition has gotten better, Gabe Cupps looks interested in only being a ball-handler, and Taison Chatman and Colin White look disinterested in shooting the ball despite both being highly rated in recruiting circles coming out of high school.

This team is going to have a hard time making it through the rough and tumble Big Ten without more scoring depth and options when guys need a rest. Who is going to step up?

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State vs North Carolina reaction: 3 things we learned Saturday