Next Up - Ohio State

• Date: 11/30
• Time: 9:30
• Venue: Value City Arena
• Video: ESPN

What do we know about Ohio State, Duke’s opponent in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge?

Well they’re not off to a great start. OSU beat Akron by just one, lost to Xavier by six and to Florida by three on a buzzer beater. They did beat Seton Hall 79-76. Ohio State has been a reliable power under coach Chris Holtmann but not so much right now.

However, there are reasons for that.

Justice Seeing is out with an injury which really ups the load on EJ Liddell. He’s really good but he could use some help. Seth Towns is also out and so is Eugene Brown. Towns, you’ll recall, played for Tommy Amaker at Harvard previously.

Transfer Jamari Wheeler is running the show and doing it well but Ohio State also relies heavily on freshmen guards and as you know, that can be hit or miss, pun intended. Malachi Branham and Meechie Johnson combine for 4.1 turnovers. Liddell is getting 2.7 and the team is averaging 12.3 per game. In the last game, against Florida, OSU had 19.

Justin Ahrens, a 6-6 senior, also starts. He doesn’t score a lot but he shoots nearly 50 percent overall from behind the line.

Normally Holtmann goes with a deep rotation but that’s significantly shortened by injury. And Duke has been exceptionally good on defense and really good at forcing turnovers.

So does Ohio State have a chance?

Well yes.

Duke comes into this game after a stellar outing in Las Vegas against Gonzaga. The Blue Devils are now rated #1 and are being celebrated far and wide. What we saw from Mark Williams, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Moore was eye-opening, even for Duke fans.

A letdown would be entirely human.

In fact, as we write, Gonzaga has been struggling with Tarleton (who?), breaking free only in the last 4:00 of the game.

And of course this game is on campus which gives the Buckeyes a huge emotional advantage.

So obviously Duke will be favored - DraftKings has the Blue Devils by -2.5 - but there are things that are very much in Ohio State’s favor as well.

• What should you know before Duke men’s basketball takes on Ohio State?
• Three points: Transition offense, defensive awareness keys for Duke victory against Ohio State
• With Duke looming, what do we know about this Ohio State team?
• Gene Brown, Seth Towns and Justice Sueing out for Ohio State game against Duke
• Ohio State will be without three players when it hosts No. 1 Duke on Tuesday night.
• College basketball rankings: Duke to put No. 1 ranking on the line vs. Ohio State in Big Ten/ACC Challenge
• Duke vs. Ohio State - Game Preview - November 30, 2021
• No. 1 Duke Heads to Ohio State Tuesday for Big Ten/ACC Challenge - Duke University
• Ohio State Remains Unranked in AP Top 25, Duke Moves To No. 1 Ahead of Tuesday Matchup With Buckeyes
• Ohio State to be without Justice Sueing, Seth Towns, Eugene Brown vs. Duke
• Buckeyes will get shot against nation’s top-ranked team when Duke arrives