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North Carolina takes on Ohio State for second straight season

Nov 28, 2007 - 2:59 PM No. 2 North Carolina (5-0) at Ohio St (4-1) 9:00 pm EST

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) - No. 2 North Carolina takes on Ohio State for the second straight year in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge when the two teams meet on Wednesday.

North Carolina won in Chapel Hill, 98-89, last season and is 8-2 all-time against the Buckeyes.

However, the Tar Heels may not be at full strength, as starting point guard Ty Lawson injured his right ankle just two minutes into Saturday's victory over Brigham Young and did not return. His status for Wednesday's game is uncertain.

Without their lightning-quick guard, the Tar Heels scored just 73 points after pouring in 316 in their previous three games.

North Carolina still has preseason All-American Tyler Hansbrough, who leads the team with 23.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Sophomore Wayne Ellington has added 17.0 points per game for the Tar Heels, who are looking to go 6-0 for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

Freshman Kosta Koufos has posted 18.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game to lead the Buckeyes, who bounced back from their first loss with a 90-57 victory over Virginia Military on Sunday. Senior Jamar Butler is adding 15.6 points and 5.0 assists for the Buckeyes, who are 1-4 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.