Duke vs Ohio State: 2021-22 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

After the massive win over No. 1 Gonzaga, Duke heads out on the road to face Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Can the Buckeyes pull off the upset?

TV schedule: Tuesday, November 30th, 9:30 pm ET. ESPN

Arena: Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio

While the No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup between Gonzaga and UCLA was supposed to be the biggest game last week, the reality was that Gonzaga versus the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils. And that game ended up being as good as the hype was, with neither team getting larger than a two-possession lead in the entire second half.

In the end, it was Duke (7-0), that got the 84-81 win and likely a No. 1 ranking once Monday’s polls come out. Freshman Paolo Banchero was the star in the first half with 20 points but constant cramping limited him to just one point in the final 20 minutes. However, it was Wendell Moore (20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) and big man Mark Williams (17 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks) that had huge games to put Duke in position to win the game.

The Blue Devils now have wins over Kentucky and Gonzaga and is the lone-ranked team in the ACC, giving them an even bigger target on their backs. And that starts in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, playing their lone true road game in the non-conference against Ohio State.

The Buckeyes (4-2) started out the season ranked but losses to Florida and Xavier have taken them out of the mix for now. But those weren’t bad games for them. Instead, it’s been the close calls against the likes of Arkon and Niagara that created causes for concern. All-Big Ten big man E.J. Liddell has done everything he can so far, averaging a team-leading 22.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg.

The problem is that Liddell is the only double-digit scorer on the season for the Buckeyes. Justice Sueing, last season’s third-leading scorer is out indefinitely with an injury, while Louisiana transfer Cedric Russell hasn’t even been in the rotation so far. Penn State transfer Jamari Wheeler has never been a scorer throughout his college career but that leaves a ton of pressure on freshmen guards Malaki Branham and Meechie Johnson Jr. to provide some backcourt production.

Ohio State does have the frontcourt depth in Liddell, Kyle Young, and Zed Key to cause some problems for Banchero and Williams of the Blue Devils inside. But the advantage on the perimeter heavily lies with Duke. The homecourt should be enough to keep this game relatively interesting overall but I have a feeling that the outcome won’t be in much doubt unless Liddell goes for 30+.

Prediction: Duke 78, Ohio State 67