N. Carolina needs overtime to oust Ohio

March 23, 2012 at 10:27p.m.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Barnes scored five of his 12 points in overtime, and top-seeded North Carolina held off Ohio 73-65 on Friday night to avoid a huge upset.

The Bobcats, only the seventh team seeded 13th or worse to reach the regional semifinals, had a chance to convert a three-point play with 25 seconds left in regulation that would have given them the lead. Walter Offutt missed from the line, though, the only free throw the Bobcats botched all night. Then they went 0 for 6 from the field in overtime.

Tyler Zeller finished with 20 points and 22 rebounds for North Carolina (32-5), which sorely missed dazzling point guard Kendall Marshall, who is day to day with a broken right wrist.

Offutt led the 13th-seeded Bobcats (29-8) with 26 points, including 18 from 3-point range, and Nick Kellogg added 14. But D.J. Cooper, who had averaged 20 points in the first two NCAA tournament games, finished with just 10 on 3-of-20 shooting.

In Friday’s other early game, Baylor jumped out to a big early lead then hung on to defeat Xavier, 75-70.