The No. 17-ranked Duke Blue Devils beat the No. 25-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 81-72 on Wednesday night in the final ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Ohio State’s Zed Key posted his second straight big game against Duke. After finishing with 20 points in last year’s home win against the then-No. 1 Blue Devils, he had 17 of his 21 points after halftime in this one to go with eight rebounds on a night when the Buckeyes battled foul trouble.
The Buckeyes rebounded from a loss to No. 24 San Diego State to open the Maui Invitational by beating Cincinnati and Texas Tech to finish in fifth in the prestigious early season tournament. That helped them crack the AP Top 25 this week for the first time this season, and this tough-nosed performance shouldn’t shake that.
The Buckeyes, who now fall to 5-2, will next be at home to take on Saint Francis on Saturday, December 3rd, with tip-off time set for 12 p.m.