By: Ben McCormick
November 29, 2022
Of all the teams in the ACC and the Big 10, Duke is the only team to have lost fewer than five games all-time in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge. Duke stands at a admirable 19-4 record during the 23-year history of the event. This Wednesday will mark the 24th and final time the Blue Devils will play in the event.
Andy Katz reported that the challenge would be in its final chapter earlier this week. Katz detailed that the ACC will usher forward a new inter-conference battle with the SEC starting in the fall of 2023. The SEC/ACC challenge will fill the void and offer potential matchups with Kentucky, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Alabama, etc. Still, it is bittersweet to see the Big 10 challenge go, especially when Duke never even got to play a game with former ACC rival Maryland as part of the challenge.
Wednesday's game against No.25 Ohio State will be the last Big 10 challenge game for Duke, but it could be the first ranked win for a Blue Devil team that is 0-2 thus far against ranked opponents. Coming off a lopsided loss to now fifth-ranked Purdue, the Blue Devils will need to bounce back strong and come prepared to matchup with a quality opponent in the Buckeyes.
While there will not be any 7'4' All-American (and NPOY candidate) centers like Zach Edey playing for OSU, there will be a solid team ready to take advantage of the young Blue Devils' recent shooting woes. Duke shot just 10.5% from three against the Boilermakers and failed to make a single field goal in the final eight minutes of play. After narrowing Purdue's lead to seven, Duke's offense came to a stand still and allowed the Boilermakers to have a field day the rest of the way. Quite simply put, Duke was outmatched on Sunday. But, Ohio State should not outmatch the Blue Devils unless they fail to execute.
Tyrese Proctor had a promising game against Purdue; which was perhaps the only good thing to come out of Sunday for Duke. The freshman guard scored a career best 16 points. He and Jeremy Roach, who went down with an injury in the first half before returning to action in the second vs. Purdue, are crucial for this team's success. Good facilitation could be the cure for Duke's offensive troubles. Currently, Duke shoots far too many forced three point attempts, of which they hit far too few to win big games. If the backcourt can create shots for the frontcourt effectively, Duke could see a real turn in offensive production.
Defensively, Duke as done well over the course of the season. Purdue was the first team to break 70 points against the Blue Devils. Despite their success, there is still room for improvement.
The jury is still out for freshman Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead who have had slow starts to their freshman campaigns. Lively struggled against Purdue as he fouled out without scoring. Lively's offensive struggle or rather non-usage, has made if difficult for Duke's offense to present a regular threat inside the paint.
The Buckeyes have earned a number of wins by lofty margins to begin the season, notably one over Cincinnati by 28 points. OSU also knocked off Texas Tech, who was ranked at the time. Their only loss came last week to now-ranked No. 24 San Diego State.
This matchup is an important one for a young Duke team that just endured a steep drop in the AP Poll this week from No. 8 to No. 17. This could be Duke's last opportunity to win a game versus a ranked opponent until Feb. 11 at No. 3 Virginia (assuming Iowa does not re-enter to top-25 next week). A loss could potentially drop Duke from the top-25, and make a top four seed extremely difficult to obtain.
Comments