AP Photo/Jay LaPrete
Duke’s reign atop the college basketball rankings will be short-lived.
The Ohio State Buckeyes stunned the Blue Devils on Tuesday night, 71-66 at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, closing the game on a 14-1 run in the final five minutes.
Ohio State’s defense earned them the win, namely in a second half that saw Duke score just 23 points. But Zed Key was equally impressive, scoring a career-high 20 points to lead the Buckeyes.
That spoiled another solid performance from the pair of Wendell Moore Jr. and Paolo Banchero, though they couldn’t prevent the Blue Devils from blowing a 13-point halftime lead.
The loss dropped the Blue Devils to 7-1 on the year, while Ohio State moved to 5-2.
Key Stats
Zed Key, OSU: 20 points
E.J. Liddell, OSU: 14 points, 14 rebounds, six assists
Malachi Branham, OSU: Eight points
Paolo Banchero, Duke: 14 points, five rebounds
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke: 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists
Jeremy Roach, Duke: Nine points
Ohio State Overcame Free-Throw Woes And Turnovers To Steal A Win
It’s hard to beat most teams when you go 11-of-22 from the charity stripe, or commit 12 turnovers. Beating a team as good as Duke with those self-imposed errors is basically impossible.
But somehow, Ohio State prevailed. The Buckeyes had the home crowd behind them, and consistently got stops in the second half.
It wasn’t pretty. They did it the hard way. But it was a huge statement win for an Ohio State team that was still smarting from two losses in its previous three games against Xavier and Florida.
Banchero And Moore Couldn’t Quite Do Enough
Banchero made plenty of headlines with a 20-point first half against Gonzaga, so his effectiveness on Tuesday night—at least in the first half—was hardly a surprise. He’s a special player, and only a freshman.
He’s got NBA written all over him.
Moore, a junior, has more experience on this level, and when he hit a pair of tough buckets to end a Duke cold streak in the second half, it looked as though that experience was paying off.
But neither Banchero or Moore came up big down in the clutch. Duke didn’t make a bucket in the final 5:19 of the game, with the Buckeyes ending the contest on an 11-0 run. Banchero or Moore needed to end the run. Neither could.
What’s Next?
Ohio State will travel to face Penn State on Sunday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Duke gets a longer break and is next in action on Tuesday, Dec. 14, when they host South Carolina State at 8 p.m. ET.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
