Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork. Ken Dryden Jersey .com) - Brice Johnson had 18 points and nine rebounds in the 24th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels 82-74 victory over the 12th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at the United Center. Marcus Paige added 16 points for the Tar Heels (8-3), who have won two in a row since a loss at top-ranked Kentucky on Dec. 13. Justin Jackson tallied 11 points. Marc Loving ended with 19 points for the Buckeyes (9-2), who had a four-game winning streak snapped. Sam Thompson contributed 17 points. North Carolina jumped out to a 17-8 lead and never looked back. Ahead 28-21, the Tar Heels went on a 15-6 run that Paige capped with a four-point play for a 43-27 advantage. Ohio State scored the final four points of the first half to get within 12. Trailing 64-46 midway through the second half, the Buckeyes put together a 16-6 run. Thompson tallied six points during the surge to help make it a 70-62 contest. However, Ohio State never got closer than seven the rest of the way. Game Notes North Carolina leads the all-time series by an 11-2 margin ... Ohio State shot 35.2 percent from the field and went 10-of-29 from beyond the arc ... The Tar Heels went 21-of-33 from the foul line. Pierre Turgeon Jersey .com) - The Grand Slam season will get underway Monday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where a new champion will be crowned this year. Jacques Plante Jersey . - The Pittsburgh Pirates plan on keeping promising left fielder Starling Marte playing alongside National League MVP Andrew McCutchen for years to come. http://www.canadienssale.com/customized/ .Y. - OK, it is done.WINNIPEG - The Minnesota Wild overcame a loaded Winnipeg lineup to beat the Jets 4-1 without their stars in pre-season action Thursday. The Wild (2-1-0) didnt dress top point getters such as Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter, while the Jets (1-2-1) had plenty of regulars on the ice. Mathew Dumba, Charlie Coyle and Kris Foucault scored for the Wild. Steven Kampfer finished things off with a goal into an empty net. Dickie Moore Jersey. Bryan Little had Winnipegs only goal. It was a preview of what the Jets can expect in their new Central Division, which includes Minnesota, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville and Dallas. The tone was set early when Dumba scored on a loose puck that floated in and out of a scramble in front of the Winnipeg net past a sprawled Al Montoya. ' ' '