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NEW YORK North Carolina coach Roy Williams said his team didn't get very good leadership during its lackadaisical victory against Valparaiso on 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 baskets, the sixth-ranked Tar Heels (4-0) survived a late-game surge by the Buckeyes, winning 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, tonight at approximately 7:15 in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic.
"You saw the whole team pick it up (when Ginyard did)," said guard Will Graves. "It's just a whole different level, a whole different atmosphere. Marcus always brings it to the table, and if we match his intensity, the sky's the limit."
Ginyard, particularly peeved by his performance against Valpo, was particularly intense from the outset.
Matched up with Ohio State 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 minutes, 30 seconds left in the first half by drawing a charge.
By halftime, Turner - who entered the game averaging 19 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists - had six points and two rebounds. The Buckeyes (2-1) were shooting 29 percent (and 50 percent from the foul 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 two seconds left in the half, giving the Tar Heels a 38-24 lead at the break.
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 (11 points, eight assists), 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, to 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. Thompson also had 12 rebounds.
Ohio State cut its deficit to as little as 75-73, but Drew II buried two free throws in the final seconds to seal it.
The Buckeyes' Turner finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds - and 10 turnovers.
Ginyard finished with 13 points - and the unquestioned role of team leader.
