Games in the middle of December are never must-win affairs for anyone, but North Carolina would serve itself well by getting a resume-enhancing victory over Ohio State on Saturday afternoon as part of the CBS Sporats Classic at Madison Square Garden.

The Tar Heels have won consecutive games after dropping four straight and plummeting from the top spot in the national rankings to completely unranked in the shortest span ever. But the Heels say they needed to shake the tree and will be better off having gone through the humbling stretch.

In wins over Georgia Tech and The Citadel this past week, UNC’s approach in every aspect of the game was different than in the first nine contests, so how it goes into the game versus the Buckeyes will be one of the more interesting elements of this game.

UNC is 7-4 overall while No. 23 Ohio State is 7-2 with wins over Cincinnati, Texas Tech, and Rutgers.

Here are 5 things to watch for when the Tar Heels face the Buckeyes: