The Ohio State men’s basketball team (9-3, 1-1 Big Ten) was in Atlanta Saturday to play #12-ranked North Carolina (11-1, 0-0 ACC) in the CBS Sports Classic. The Buckeyes trailed by as many as 11 in the second half, but came back to lead by three with 48 seconds remaining.

Reynoldsburg native John Mobley made a three-pointer and converted on a free throw to give Ohio State the three-point edge, 70-67. The Tar Heels’ Seth Trimble then scored on a layup to cut the Buckeye lead to one.

Jarin Stevenson stole the ball on OSU’s next possession and, after a timeout, Henri Veesaar scored with seven seconds left to give the Tar Heels the lead. The Buckeyes missed a trey and the tip on an offensive rebound as time ran out and North Carolina came away with a 71-70 victory.

Pickerington Central alum Devin Royal paced the Buckeyes with 18 points. Four other OSU players were in double figures: Bruce Thornton (16), Mobley Jr. (13), Christoph Tilly (11), and Amare Bynum (10). The Buckeyes did not get any points off the bench in Saturday’s contest. North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson led all scorers with 20.

Ohio State returns to action on Tuesday, hosting Grambling State in a non-conference game at Value City Arena. The tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. All of the action will be televised on the Big Ten Network.