Ohio State Basketball: Expectations soar after monumental Duke win

Ohio State basketball on their home floor stunned No. 1 Duke, beating them 71-66. This win is one of the best, if not the best, wins in Chris Holtmann’s career at Ohio State. This victory is monumental in changing the Buckeyes’ season goals after showing they can perform at a high level.

OSU was not enjoying its best start prior to the Duke game, sitting at 4-2. They started to play much better last week after defeating Seton Hall and barely losing to Florida. The Buckeyes were on the upswing, but Duke was a whole different monster compared to Ohio State’s past opponents.

It was hard to imagine Holtmann leading OSU to a win over Duke considering the matchups on paper. How would Ohio State guard and limit the Blue Devils’ frontcourt consisting of the superstar Paolo Banchero and Mark Williams? Could the Bucks overcome a size and talent disadvantage against a Duke team that was firing on all cylinders with wins versus No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 9 Kentucky?

Ohio State basketball shot down all of that doubt, shocking Duke in an upset. For the majority of the game, the Buckeyes did trail. However, much of that was due to unforced turnovers and missed free throws. Still, the Scarlet and Gray found a way, in the end, outscoring the Blue Devils 12-0 in the final 4:29.

The win itself was huge, but the fact OSU could do this with many mistakes is encouraging. Plus, there were several issues throughout the game — Justin Ahrens could not guard Duke’s star, Wendell Moore.

The Buckeyes still found a way and conquered the challenge. E.J. Liddell was outstanding again with 14 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks. The players who deserve the most credit are Zed Key and Cedric Russell.

Key dominated on the low block with his sound post-game on one of the nation’s best shot-blockers in Williams. The sophomore big man ended up with a career-high 20 points and was the game’s lead-scorer.

Russell came off the bench and was an instant boost. When the Lousiana transfer came in late during the second half, this is when OSU went on their amazing game-sealing run. He provided consistent shooting going 3/3 from three and totaled 12 points in only 15 minutes of play, which is very hard to do in limited minutes.

Ohio State basketball’s season goals are now soaring

Going forward, the win over Duke changes the season outlook. Ohio State has been quite inconsistent so far. The loss of Justice Sueing has been a big setback, and other Buckeyes were stepping up. Now, Key has strung together several great games early in the year. And Russell — who was expected to be a big contributor prior to the season — is now giving OSU a huge lift in the backcourt and is carving himself a big role.

Defeating the immensely talented Duke shows what Ohio State basketball is capable of this year. The Buckeyes cannot be complacent and will need to build off of this giant win and look to piece together consistent play. This win could and should put Ohio State on the path to being a great team this season, rather than being up and down as an unranked squad.

Ohio State basketball’s victory over Duke cannot be overstated; this changes the season and the team’s expectations for the better as more difficult opponents await in the month of December.