COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State coach Thad Matta chuckled when asked if his team had learned enough in two games to cope with what it will be facing in the next two.

"I hope so," he said.

Evan Turner had 24 points and 17 rebounds and the 16th-ranked Buckeyes recovered from a listless spell to beat James Madison, 72-44, last night in the 2K Sports Classic.

They advance to meet sixth-ranked defending national champion North Carolina in the semifinals next Thursday night in Madison Square Garden. Syracuse and No. 13 California are the other matchup.

"It's a great challenge, a great opportunity," Matta said. "It's not just North Carolina, but four Top 25 teams who are going to the Mecca of basketball in Madison Square Garden."

WOMEN

Stanford signs nation's No. 1: Coach Tara VanDerveer of No. 2 Stanford landed the nation's consensus top recruit yesterday in forward Chiney Ogwumike, the younger sister of Cardinal sophomore Nnemkadi Ogwumike.

The younger Ogwumike signed a letter of intent to play at Stanford starting for the 2010-11 season. The 6-foot-3 standout from Cy-Fair High in Cypress, Texas averaged 21.4 points and 12.6 rebounds per game as a junior last season.