Tar Heels pull away from Ohio State

Tyler Hansbrough started and ended North Carolina’s game-breaking 17-2 run in the second half Wednesday night and the seventh-ranked Tar Heels went on to a 98-89 victory over No. 3 Ohio State in Chapel Hill, N.C., in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

In a game featuring two of the country’s top freshman classes – with Greg Oden, the best of the bunch, sitting on the Ohio State bench in street clothes with a towel around his neck – Hansbrough, a preseason All-America as a sophomore, took over down low.

The 6-foot-9 forward was the key inside as the Tar Heels (5-1) overcame an incredible 3-point shooting performance by the Buckeyes (6-1), who were playing outside the Columbus city limits for the first time this season.

Hansbrough finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds, and freshman Wayne Ellington added 19 for North Carolina, which trailed by 10 points in the first half and was down 68-63 with 10:50 to play in the game.

Ron Lewis had 30 points for Ohio State, which finished 13 for 26 from 3-point range after hitting 12 of its first 19 shots from beyond the arc.

Oden, the 7-0 defensive specialist considered one of the best high school big men of recent years, was reduced to a cheerleading role as he continues to recover from off-season surgery on his right wrist.

(2) Pittsburgh 67, Robert Morris 53: At Pittsburgh, Aaron Gray scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half and had 15 rebounds to lead the Panthers (7-0) to a victory over the Colonials (4-1).

(10) LSU 91, McNeese State 57: At Baton Rouge, La., Garrett Temple had 17 points and Tasmin Mitchell scored 14 of his 16 in the second half, leading the Tigers (3-1) past the Cowboys (2-5).

(12) Memphis 80, (20) Kentucky 63: At Lahaina, Hawaii, freshman Willie Kemp scored 10 of his 12 points in the opening 4 minutes of the second half and Tigers (3-1) dominated the Wildcats (3-2) in the third-place game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

(17) Wichita State 85, Missouri-Kansas City 55: At Wichita, Kan., P.J. Couisnard scored 16 points and the Shockers (5-0) made their first 11 shots in the second half to beat the Kangaroos (3-4).

Wichita State was playing its first home game as a ranked team since 1983.

Oregon 57, (18) Georgetown 50: At Washington, Aaron Brooks scored 15 points, and the Ducks (6-0) made up for poor shooting with hustle and rebounding in an upset victory over the Hoyas (4-2).

Oregon was better than Georgetown in nearly every facet of the game, but it couldn’t hit shots until midway through the second half. The Ducks never had anything close to a comfortable lead until a 10-3 run gave them a 53-44 lead with 1:36 to play.

(19) Butler 60, Valparaiso 47: At Valparaiso, Ind., Mike Green scored 16 points and A.J. Graves added 13 to help the Bulldogs (8-0), playing with their highest ranking in 57 years, beat the Crusaders (3-3).

(20) Connecticut 89, Sacred Heart 46: At Storrs, Conn., Doug Wiggins and Craig Austrie each scored 12 points to help the Huskies (6-0) rout the Pioneers (2-4) and extend their home winning streak to 25 games.

(24) Nevada 86, Louisiana-Lafayette 74: At Lafayette, La., Marcelus Kemp and Nick Fazekas combined for 40 points and the Wolf Pack (6-0) broke open a close game midway through the second half to beat the Ragin’ Cajuns (1-5).

Purdue 61, (25) Virginia 59: At West Lafayette, Ind., Tarrance Crump drove to the basket and hit a floater with 1 second remaining, lifting the Boilermakers (5-1) over the Cavaliers (4-1) in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.