Top-25 teams will battle it out in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Wednesday night as the No. 25 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1) take on the No. 17 Duke Blue Devils (6-2). The Blue Devils will host this one at Cameron Indoor Stadium, with tipoff scheduled for 7:15 pm ET.
The Buckeyes have won back-to-back games over Cincinnati (81-53) and Texas Tech (80-73). In the win over the Red Raiders, Justice Sueing led the way with 33 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Sam McNeil (13 points) and Brice Sensabaugh (10 points) also had nice games.
For Duke, they are trying to regroup after getting blown out 75-56 to No. 5 Purdue over the weekend. Tyrese Proctor (16), Jeremy Roach (14) and Kyle Filipowski (14) combined for 44 points, but it wasn’t enough to take down the Boilermakers.
The Blue Devils open as the favorites playing at home. They are -222 to win, while the Buckeyes’ moneyline sits at +155. The spread features Ohio State +4.5 (-119), and the over/under sits at 137.5.
Sueing Setting The Way For Buckeyes
Last season was a tough year for Justice Sueing. The 6’6” senior played in just two games as he struggled with an abdominal injury. Now in his senior year, Sueing is trying to bounce back and lead the Buckeyes to a big year in the Big Ten.
In six games this season, Sueing is averaging 14.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and is shooting 43.2% from the field.
He isn’t the only Buckeye putting up big numbers. Brice Sensabaugh, a 6’6” freshman is leading the team in scoring, averaging 15.8 points. He is also averaging four rebounds while shooting 52.5% from the field.
These two have led an offense that ranks 37th in the nation, averaging 79.3 points per game.
Other major contributors for Ohio State include Zed Key (12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds), Sean McNeil (9.8 points, 2 rebounds), and Bruce Thornton (9.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists).
Duke Trying To Avenge Last Year’s Loss
This is the second time in as many seasons that these two have matched up in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Last season, it was Ohio State winning at home 71-66. The Blue Devils will try to avenge that loss this year as they host this one at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke currently ranks 156th in the nation in scoring, averaging 70.8 points per game (80.3 at home). Defensively, Duke has been much better as they rank 16th overall, allowing opponents an average of just 57 points per game (49.3 at home).
Thus far, the team has been led by K Filipowski and J Roach. Filipowski is averaging 15.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks.
For Roach, the junior is averaging 12.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He is also the only player that played in last year’s matchup that still is on Duke’s squad.
Other contributors for Duke include Mark Mitchell (9.6 points, 3.4 rebounds), Ryan Young (7.8 points, seven rebounds), and Tyrese Proctor (6.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists).
Take Duke To Win At Home
Looking at the trends, Ohio State has won five of their last six games, and they are 6-1 in their last seven November games. Still, they are 3-7 in their last 10 games against the ACC. In 12 of their last 18 games, the OVER has hit for the Buckeyes.
For Duke, they are 5-1 in their last six games overall and 6-1 in their last seven home games. Against the Big Ten, the Blue Devils are 16-4 in their last 20 games. Given their strong defense, the UNDER has hit in five of their last six matchups.
This one comes down to the home-court advantage and defense. Wednesday night, Duke has the edge in both.
While Ohio State has won two in a row, the Blue Devils will be the toughest test for them in that stretch. Expect Duke to bounce back from their loss against Purdue and pick up the win Wednesday night.
Take Duke to win and cover the 4.5-point spread (-119).
