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Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell, right, celebrates with teammate Jae’Sean Tate after outlasting VCU in overtime on Thursday.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Ohio State might only go as far as D’Angelo Russell can take the Buckeyes in the NCAA Tournament. So far, that’s good enough to roll into the round of 32.

Russell scored 28 points to rally Ohio State from an early 12-point deficit, and the 10th-seeded Buckeyes beat seventh-seeded VCU 75-72 in overtime on Thursday.

“He’s a winner. The kid loves to win. He’s going to do whatever he can to win basketball games,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said.

The freshman sensation did just about everything for the Buckeyes in their tournament opener.

Russell regrouped from an elbow that sent blood streaming down the left side of his face near the end of regulation, and he showed in nearly 45 minutes on the floor why he likely will be a top pick in this summer’s NBA draft.

The quick and crafty left-hander made 10 of 20 shots, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds, two steals and two blocks to bring the Buckeyes (24-10) back in both halves and overtime.

“I watched this (tournament) my whole life. Just knowing that a lot of great teams go down, a lot of underdogs achieve, just with the mentality that anything can happen,” Russell said.

North Carolina 67, Harvard 65

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Justin Jackson hit a tying jumper in the final minute, and then had a fast-break dunk to help fourth-seeded North Carolina edge Harvard.

The Tar Heels (25-11) wasted a 16-point second-half lead and briefly trailed before Jackson came to the rescue.

Siyani Chambers’ four-point play put 13th-seeded Harvard ahead 65-63 with 1:15 remaining. It was the only lead of the game for the Ivy League champions.

Jackson finished with 14 points and Marcus Paige had 10.

Chambers misfired on a pair of 3-pointers in the closing seconds, and the Crimson’s final chance for victory — Wesley Saunders’ shot from beyond the arc — bounced off the back of the rim.

Saunders led Harvard (22-8) with 26 points. Chambers had 13.

Cincinnati 66, Purdue 65 (OT)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Troy Caupain got Cincinnati to overtime with his buzzer-beating layup, then Coreontae DeBerry helped the eighth-seeded Bearcats beat Purdue.

The Bearcats trailed by seven with 48.5 seconds left in regulation and forced overtime with a 10-3 run. Caupain’s driving layup banked off the glass, rolled around and hit the glass again — staying on the back rim for a moment — before falling through. That sent the Bearcats celebrating while officials reviewed the play to make sure Caupain did beat the buzzer.

In overtime, DeBerry scored four of his 13 points helping Cincinnati take a lead it wouldn’t lose again.

Vince Edwards’ would-be tying 3 hit off the rim at the buzzer for the Boilermakers (21-13).

Villanova 93, Lafayette 52

PITTSBURGH — Without a hint of doubt, Villanova flexed its top-seeded muscle and showed why President Barack Obama picked the Wildcats to reach the NCAA Tournament title game, thumping Lafayette.

Thirty years after stunning the basketball world with an improbable national championship, the Wildcats (33-2) are going to try it this time around as a prohibitive favorite to reach the Final Four.

Dylan Ennis scored 16 points and helped the Wildcats win their 16th straight game.

Utah 57, Stephen F. Austin 50

PORTLAND, Ore. — Jakob Poeltl had 18 points and eight rebounds, and fifth-seeded Utah opened its first NCAA Tournament appearance in five years by holding off Stephen F. Austin.

The Utes’ stout defense thwarted the usually high-scoring Lumberjacks, who were held well under their season average of 79.5 points. Ty Charles led No. 12 seed Stephen F. Austin (29-5) with 14 points.

Jordan Loveridge added 12 points for Utah (25-8), which led by as many as 12 points in the second half.