MINNEAPOLIS -- With an eight-day break between games, Ohio State Coach Chris Holtmann was wary of this trip to Minnesota despite the roll his team had been on.
The third-ranked Buckeyes had the kind of flat performance Holtmann was worried about.
Marcus Carr scored a career-high 35 points and Daniel Oturu had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Minnesota toppled undefeated and third-ranked Ohio State 84-71 on Sunday for Coach Richard Pitino's first win against a top-five team.
"I thought we had some inconsistencies to our practice week," Holtmann said. "You're not always sure if that's due to finals or whatever. Obviously, it was a significant layoff, but I don't look at that as the reason that we lost. They were the better team tonight."
Oturu outworked Kaleb Wesson in the paint to win the battle of two of the Big Ten's best big men. Prior to Sunday's game, the highest-ranked opponent the Gophers had beaten in seven years under Pitino was No. 6 Maryland on Feb. 18, 2016. Minnesota beat the Buckeyes' average scoring allowance by 30 points.
"I don't know if there was a weakness in what we did," Pitino said. "I just thought start to finish that was about as complete a game as we've played here."
Carr stole the show with 28 points in the second half, but it took a collective increase in aggression by him and fellow guards Gabe Kalscheur and Payton Willis after a 20-point loss at Iowa when the three of them combined for 10 points on 3-for-29 shooting.
"We definitely had an emphasis on coming out here tonight and re-establishing what we want to do and the kind of team that we want to be going forward," Carr said.
Carr, who's in his debut with the Gophers (5-5, 1-1) after sitting out last season following a transfer from Pittsburgh, shot 12 for 17 from the floor after going 1 for 10 against the Hawkeyes.
"This is acting like a coming-out party for him," Oturu said, "and people should start taking notice."
The last time the Gophers beat a top-five foe was No. 1 Indiana on Feb. 26, 2013, under Coach Tubby Smith. They were swarmed by their fans at midcourt after the clock ran out on Sunday.
Freshmen D.J. Carton (19 points) and E.J. Liddell (14 points) had season highs off the bench for the Buckeyes (9-1, 1-1), but Wesson had just 12 points and six rebounds with his playing time limited by foul trouble. He went 4 for 13 from the floor and had six turnovers.
WOFFORD 68,
NO. 17 NORTH CAROLINA 64
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Wofford traveled to Chapel Hill and shocked a ranked North Carolina team again, getting 19 points from Trevor Stumpe and riding a 16-0 run in the second half to beat the Tar Heels.
Storm Murphy added 15 points and Messiah Jones had 13 points for the Terriers (7-4), who went on the road to beat North Carolina for the second time in three years.
Wofford, a 12-point underdog, made four three-pointers during its decisive spurt, a six-minute stretch in which the Tar Heels missed 10 consecutive shots.
Garrison Brooks had 17 points and 12 rebounds for North Carolina (6-4) in its first regular-season game at Carmichael Arena since Jan. 4, 1986.
Brandon Robinson added a career-high 16 points for the Tar Heels, who lost their third consecutive game.
Sports on 12/16/2019