COLUMBUS, Ohio -- JaeSean Tate scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Ohio State overcame cold shooting and some ugly play to beat North Carolina Central 69-63 Monday night.Ohio State (2-0) struggled for much of the game and let the Eagles hang around. The Buckeyes shot just 46.4 percent from the floor and were lucky to get away with the victory over the less-talented Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference team.We just didnt come out ready to play today, Tate said.Fortunately for the Buckeyes, North Carolina Central (0-2) was sloppier, committing 20 turnovers and losing two players to fouls, including point guard Dajuan Graf.Patrick Cole carried the load for the NCCU with 26 points. Ron Trapps added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.Freshman center Micah Potter added 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting from the 3-point line for the Buckeyes, and Keita Bates-Diop had nine.I didnt like a whole lot of what I saw tonight, Ohio State coach Thad Matta said.Ohio State led 31-29 after a slow start by both teams in the first half. The Buckeyes had a 12-0 run and led by as much as 21-11 with 9:17 left in the first, but allowed North Carolina Central to slowly climb back. The Eagles briefly had a lead until Tate hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the half. They cut the lead to five with 40 seconds left.Hats off to Ohio State. They made some significant plays at significant time, NCCU coach LeVelle Moton said. I thought we did enough to win the basketball game.North Carolina Central led 32-31 with 18:46 to go in the game, but the Buckeyes slowly pulled away.Weve got Providence next, and if we come out like that its not going to be pretty, Tate said . We know from last year that these early games count. We cant just be lackadaisical. We have to come out there and be the first team to punch the other in the mouth.Ohio State starting forward Marc Loving sat much of the first half after picking up two fouls in the first 1:15 of the game. He finished with three points.BIG PICTURENorth Carolina Central: If theres such thing as a moral victory, the Eagles got one by staying with the Buckeyes for most of the game. In the end, the best the Eagles got from the trip to Columbus was a chance to hone their game against a more-talented team. They nearly pulled off the upset.Ohio State: The Buckeyes were put on notice that this years version still needs a lot of work. Fortunately there are more tune-up games before conference play begins after Christmas.QUOTABLEWe werent physically and mentally very tough, Matta said. Obviously, we have to get that corrected.LYLE STRUGGLINGStarting point guard JaQuan Lyle sat most the second half Monday in favor of C.J. Jackson. He finished with five points. Lyle also sat most of the second half of last weeks win over Navy.UP NEXTNorth Carolina Central plays Wednesday at Western Carolina.Ohio State stays home to play Providence Thursday night. CJ Wilson Angels Jersey .In my heart and mind Im competing for India, luge competitor Shiva Keshavan told The Associated Press in an email interview. Every day Im flooded with messages from Indians all over the world telling me they are supporting me. Luis Rengifo Angels Jersey . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. https://www.cheapangels.com/2773j-griffin-canning-jersey-angels.html . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. Zack Cozart Jersey Zack Cozart Angels Jersey . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Somethings wrong in Rio.The team that usually wins big is barely winning.An unheard of two straight close games for the U.S. Olympic mens basketball team has created a question that few dared consider just a few days ago: Is the best team in the world not good enough for gold?Im not concerned, were not concerned with things we could do a little bit better, four-time Olympian Carmelo Anthony said. But were OK. Were fine.OK and fine arent the U.S. standard.Great. Dominant. Those are the standards the Americans have set.The problems seem to center on a lack of international experience and time to prepare for the Rio Games.The Americans are still unbeaten, but theyre far from unbeatable going into their final game of the preliminary round Sunday against France.Were going to play a team who struggled the last two games and Im sure theyre not too sure, like, who they are as well, France forward Nicolas Batum said. So its going to be big matchup Sunday.The U.S. team that many considered a gold medal lock wouldnt even win its group outright with a loss Sunday, either tying France or sharing first with the French and Australia at 4-1. In fact, the Americans could even end up finishing third in Group A.The Americans supposedly left third-place finishes behind long ago.But after needing to pull away late to beat Australia 98-88 and holding on to edge Serbia 94-91 on Friday when Bogdan Bogdanovic missed a 3-pointer, anything seems possible.Again, well figure this out, Paul George said. Its good that were finding ways to win these games right now. Hopefully these will be the ones that help prepare us later on for the style of this tournament.The Americans dont seem stressed, canceling practice Saturday. But some extra time in the gym would seem to benefit what is the most unprepared U.S. Olympic team since the 2004 squad that managed only bronze in Athens.Like then, the Americans were hit hard by player withdrawals and were still putting together a roster right up until their deadline. Instead of bringing experienced Olympians to Rio de Janeiro, they have 10 rookies, players who look more like lost tourists when it comes to the ways of international basketball.The 2008 and 2012 powerhouses were filled with players who had competed previously in the Olympics or FIBA competitions, and understood the nuances even better than some of their opponents.ddddddddddddThis group is learning on the fly, and theyre not giving themselves high marks.Again, as good as we are, if we continue playing like this, this games going to get even tougher, George said.No teams can match the Americans talent, and they dont pretend that can. But a team like France has a familiarity this U.S. team can never attain.These French have been playing big games for years, winning bronze in the 2014 Basketball World Cup, and after falling short of qualifying for the Olympics when they lost in the semifinals of last summers EuroBasket they were hosting, winning a tournament in July to secure their spot.Maybe, maybe got more chemistry than they are, because I played with this team for eight years now, the same group of guys, every summer, Batum said. So we know each other well, same coach, too, so we know the plays and everything. So that may be sometimes.Batum and his teammates -- along with everyone else in Brazil -- quickly point out that the U.S. is talented enough to overcome that.The U.S. is the U.S., France star Tony Parker said. Theyve been the standard for a long time and they are the best team in the tournament, and until somebody beats them they still are the best team.Nobody has done that in a decade, with the Americans seeking their 50th consecutive tournament victory Sunday. Few teams have even come close to beating them and before this week the U.S. had never played consecutive games decided by 10 points or fewer under coach Mike Krzyzewski.Krzyzewski knew things would get tougher once the opponents did. The Americans arrived in Rio untested after a tame exhibition schedule that included China and Venezuela, the two teams they crushed to open the Olympics.But Australia and Serbia were much higher quality and so are the French, who are ranked fifth in the world. They all have offensive systems and players who can make them work.We never saw that in any exhibition game or whatever, Krzyzewski said. Were seeing it right now for the first time, so we just have to learn from it and getter better.---Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney ' ' '