UNC 77, Ohio St. 73

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, Saturday night at approximately 7:15 p.m. in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic.

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, dove into the Tar Heels' bench to try to get to a loose ball on another, then drew a second foul from him 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 Will 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 point guard Larry Drew II, burying a 3-pointer with 6:10 left in the game, when Ohio State cut what was once a 19-point lead to 58-47.

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, too 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, including a key block and two free throws after Drew made that 3-pointer.

OSU cut its lead to 68-60 with less than two minutes left when guard David Lighty made a layup. But Ginyard -- who else? -- buried a 3-pointer. After the Buckeyes countered another 3-pointer, Ginyard made a steal that kept the Tar Heels ahead. OSU cut it to as little as 75-73, but Drew II buried two free throws in the final seconds to seal it.

Ginyard finished with 13 points -- and the unquestioned role of team leader.