Sixth-ranked Ohio State spent the last 15 minutes of Wednesday night’s trip to seventh-ranked North Carolina knocking down shots, making the Tar Heels work for every look and ultimately driving the blue-clad home fans toward the exits well before the final horn.  The result was a second attention-grabbing blowout by the Buckeyes against a ranked opponent, this one handing Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams his most lopsided home loss at UNC.

Duane Washington Jr. had 18 points and Ohio State shot 54% after halftime to beat North Carolina 74-49 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. It came roughly three weeks after the Buckeyes routed then-No. 10 Villanova by 25 points during an unbeaten start.  E.J. Liddell added 12 points for the Buckeyes (8-0), who led just 29-27 at halftime. But Ohio State’s offense got going while the defense continued making things difficult on the Tar Heels (6-2) just as in the first 20 minutes.

Ohio State outscored UNC 35-13 over the final 15 1/2 minutes to break the game open. The lead steadily grew until the Buckeyes had surpassed last January’s 83-62 win by Louisville here that stood as the Tar Heels’ worst in the Smith Center under Williams — who told reporters: “I have no answers, as evident from what you watched.”