NCAA Basketball: Ohio State’s defense, Virginia’s limitations and more weekly takeaways

1) Ohio State has the country’s best defense (outside of Virginia)

No one had a better week than the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Ranked No. 6 to start the week, Ohio State went on the road and dismantled No. 7 North Carolina, winning 74-49 thanks to a historic defensive performance. They limited the Tar Heels to just 27.4 percent shooting, which is the worst UNC has ever shot at the Smith Center. The 49 points they scored is also the third lowed they’ve ever scored at their home arena.

It was the eighth straight time the Buckeyes had held their opponent to 57 points or less to open the season and moved them to No. 2 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, trailing only Virginia’s vaunted unit.

The Buckeyes had that season-opening streak snapped in a 106-74 win over Penn State on Saturday that was more about how good their offense performed.

After the UNC victory, head coach Chris Holtmann talked to reporters about that streak and why the Buckeyes were having so much success on the defensive end of the floor.

"“We have good individual defenders, and sometimes we can put several really good individual defenders on the floor at the same time. Collectively, when we play together, we have a chance to be really, really good defensively.”"

Rather than forcing turnovers and extending pressure, Ohio State’s defense is designed to stall out the opposing offense by cutting off driving lanes and contest three-point shots with their length. It’s working, too, as they also rank second in the country in effective field goal percentage defense.

Ohio State’s offense is playing at a high level as well, but it’s their defense that has elevated them to a place among the nation’s elite.