ACC Basketball

Mike Krzyzewski was victorious in his final trip to Chapel Hill, as Duke earned a 87-67 win over North Carolina in the latest installment of their legendary rivalry.

The ninth-ranked Blue Devils have now won five games in a row after losing in overtime to Florida State on Jan. 18. The Tar Heels had a four-game winning streak of their own, but a loss to Duke sees UNC fall back to earth. Hubert Davis' squad is now 1-4 against ranked opponents.

Duke was up by 23 points at one point in the first half, but North Carolina clawed back and trailed by 11, 39-28, at halftime.

But four minutes into the second half, the Blue Devils built another 23-point lead. The Tar Heels were basically playing to avoid a blowout as they were outmanned and overmatched.

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Notable Performers

AJ Griffin, F, Duke: 27 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal

Paolo Banchero, F, Duke: 13 points, 10 rebounds, two assists

Brady Manek, F, North Carolina: 21 points, six rebounds

Armando Bacot, F, North Carolina: 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block

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Griffin Too Much for UNC

Duke's dominance started with AJ Griffin. The 6'6" forward presented matchup problems throughout the night and provided a steady source of offense.

Given the stakes of any encounter between these two programs, Griffin wrote his name into Blue Devils lore on this performance alone.

AJ Griffin, right now pic.twitter.com/riDJQh7mNR

— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) February 6, 2022

Said all week that Duke was always going to have at least one incredibly favorable matchup on the floor at all times.

With Leaky Black on Paolo, that largely has been A.J. Griffin.

— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) February 6, 2022

This was also a great showcase for Griffin's potential at the next level. In his most recent 2022 NBA mock draft, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected him to go sixth overall to the New Orleans Pelicans.

AJ does it all 👀

📺 ESPN @whoisAG21 pic.twitter.com/fod6bvFsDS

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 5, 2022

TURN US UP AJ 🗣️🗣️🗣️ @whoisAG21

55-32 😈 | 15:08 2H | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/IsTVGxyyBR

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 6, 2022

A PTPER player in the eyes of the @NBA scouts that has made the biggest jump from the start to now is AJ GRIFFIN @whoisAG21 of @DukeMBB / also watching BRADY MANEK his range as a shooter makes his stock go up in the eyes of the NBA ppl.

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) February 6, 2022

Krzyzewski couldn't have crafted a better sendoff to Dean E. Smith Center. His players were zeroed in from the opening tip—quickly building a 19-5 lead with a little more than five minutes off the clock—and didn't let up much from there.

The Blue Devils relished the opportunity to pile on more misery in the second half.

Paolo Banchero gives the 'you're small' celebration against Leaky Black

Mark Williams gives the 'on your head' celebration on Brady Manek

Back-to-back possessions

— Gregory Hall (@gregoryhall_) February 6, 2022

ESPN's Joe Lunardi projected Duke as a No. 2 seed in the 2022 NCAA tournament, and the team looked every bit the part Saturday.

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Manek Can't Do it All for Heels

Brady Manek was the single biggest reason this game wasn't a blowout in the first half. 

Armando Bacot battled foul trouble, while Caleb Love was held scoreless. In addition to playing all 20 minutes of the first half, Manek's offensive consistency was critical toward keeping the Heels at least within striking distance.

Manek is 5-of-11, 4-of-7 from three. Everyone else on the team is 5-of-21, 0-of-7

— Shawn Krest (@ShawnKrest) February 6, 2022

https://twitter.com/LukeDeCock/status/1490112769361788928

By having to exert so much energy on offense, though, the senior forward might have left himself at a disadvantage on defense. Duke looked to switch Griffin onto Manek with high frequency, and the strategy is a big reason why Griffin was the game's leading scorer.

In general, it was clear early on the Heels wouldn't have much chance at an upset. They can't take down an opponent with as much talent as Duke has when Love is mired in such a brutal shooting funk.

I was really excited about some of the growth we’d seen in terms of poise and ball-screen comfort from Caleb Love early in the season. But he’s been kind of a mess since mid-January. Not counting today, he entered shooting 26% in his last six games, including 21% from 2-pt range.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) February 5, 2022

Caleb Love has been a mess today. Throwing the ball all over the place, dribbling off his feet, bricks on bricks.

— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) February 5, 2022

Caleb Love has hit 4 shots in his last 25 attempts.

— Keeping It Heel (@KeepingItHeel) February 6, 2022

All things considered, this isn't the most embarrassing loss North Carolina has suffered at the hands of its in-state rival. But it was a sobering display of how much work Davis has ahead.

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What's Next?

Duke returns to Durham for a matchup with Virginia on Monday. North Carolina will head south to play Clemson on Tuesday night.

Chris Mack has confirmed he is no longer the head coach for the Louisville men's basketball team. 

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mack said he's "not bitter in any way" about the end of his tenure with the Cardinals. 

Chris Mack is out as Head Coach at the University of Louisville.

We just spoke to him outside the athletic facility. Here are his comments. pic.twitter.com/XbPX7W0FiM

— Dalton Godbey (@Dalton_Godbey) January 26, 2022

ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel reported on Tuesday that Mack's job status was "in peril" and the school was "engaged in discussions to separate with the fourth-year head coach."

Mack has had a tumultuous 2021-22 season that left his status with the Cardinals up in the air. 

In August, Louisville announced Mack was being suspended for the first six games of the season for failing to follow proper guidelines related to an extortion attempt by former assistant coach Dino Gaudio. 

Gaudio pleaded guilty to a federal charge of attempted extortion for threatening to go public with alleged NCAA violations committed by the men's basketball program during a meeting with Louisville officials after it was decided his contract would not be renewed. 

According to Borzello and Thamel, the NCAA amended a previous notice of allegations against the men's basketball program related to Gaudio's firing to include three new alleged violations:

The alleged violations stem from last spring's firing of Gaudio, which resulted in Gaudio attempting to extort Mack. In a recording, Gaudio told Mack he would expose violations if not paid the remainder of his salary.

The NCAA alleged that Mack 'either participated in, condoned, or negligently disregarded violations involving graduate assistants and others participation in practice as well as the creation and use of personalized recruiting videos and aids.'

The notice included one Level I allegation and three Level II allegations. 

Mack was hired in March 2018, five months after Rick Pitino was fired for his role in the bribery and corruption scandal involving a total of seven schools. Louisville vacated all of its wins from 2011-15, including its national title from the 2012-13 season. 

Louisville went 68-37 in 105 games with one NCAA tournament appearance with Mack as head coach. The Cardinals have lost five of their last six games since starting this season 10-4.     

Chris Mack's days at Louisville may be numbered.

Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated reported the Louisville Board of Trustees and its athletics board are set for a meeting on the men's basketball coach's future Wednesday that "could result in a change." Mack's weekly radio show on Tuesday has been canceled amid the rumors.

Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel of ESPN reported the school is currently in negotiations to fire Mack, who is due a $12 million buyout. It's possible that number is lowered as part of exit negotiations.

Louisville has lost five of its last six games and dropped to 11-9 on the season. The Cardinals have put together a series of increasingly listless efforts of late, including managing a season-low 52 points in Monday's 12-point loss at Virginia.

The Louisville home crowd also loudly booed in Saturday's loss to Notre Dame.

“I'm frustrated too," Mack told reporters after the game. "I appreciate everybody coming tonight, they care deeply. They care deeply. They want Louisville to win, we want Louisville to win. Trust me, we're trying to do everything we can to get better and to improve."

Mack, 52, is in his fourth season at Louisville after spending the previous nine years at Xavier. The Cardinals have not gotten out of the first round of the NCAA tournament during his tenure and are 68-37 overall.

The program had been a beacon of stability for the better part of 50 years, with Denny Crum leading Louisville from 1971 to 2001 and then Rick Pitino taking over from 2001 to 2017. Former assistant David Padgett coached the team on an interim basis after Pitino's firing ahead of the 2017-18 season, but the Cardinals hoped they had found their next stalwart in Mack a year later.

The results have simply not followed. Mack has struggled to recruit at a high level, with 247Sports currently ranking Louisville 42nd in the 2022 class and never once landing a top-10 class during his tenure. He's struggled to coach up the talent he's brought to Louisville as well, with the team consistently finishing in the middle of the pack in the ACC.

With the once-promising 10-4 start to 2021-22 falling apart, it appears the administration is reaching a breaking point.

A COVID-19 outbreak within the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team has forced Wednesday's game against Kentucky to be postponed. 

Louisville interim athletic director Josh Heird announced all team activities have been paused indefinitely "due to multiple positive COVID-19 tests among individuals within the program."

"Officials from Kentucky and Louisville will monitor opportunities in which the teams can reschedule the annual rivalry game," the statement said.

A Louisville spokesman told Matthew McGavic of the Louisville Report on Saturday that an unspecified player was entered into COVID-19 protocols. 

Per Mike Rutherford of CardChronicle.com, Louisville center Malik Williams didn't play against Western Kentucky on Saturday because he was in the protocol. 

Williams was the only Cardinals player unavailable for that game. 

Per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Kentucky will attempt to find a replacement opponent for either Wednesday or Thursday. 

The Wildcats are coming off a 98-69 win over North Carolina on Saturday. They were originally scheduled to play Ohio State, but the Buckeyes had to cancel due to a COVID-19 outbreak. 

North Carolina's game against UCLA scheduled for Saturday was also canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Bruins program. 

If the game is unable to be rescheduled, this will mark the first time since the 1982-83 season that Kentucky and Louisville haven't played in the regular season. 

Louisville's next scheduled game is at home on Dec. 29 against Wake Forest. Kentucky is currently scheduled to play Missouri at Rupp Arena on Dec. 29.    

Duke University announced Friday that it is seeking a new men's basketball opponent for Saturday after its original opponent had to pull out of the game.

It was noted by Duke that Saturday's scheduled game against Loyola (MD) has been canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests within the Loyola program.

Duke remains hopeful that a replacement opponent can be found and called for those with tickets for Saturday's game to "stand by."

The Blue Devils are the No. 2 team in the nation this season with a 9-1 record. Their only loss was a 71-66 defeat at the hands of Ohio State, and they own victories over then-No. 10 Kentucky and then-No. 1 Gonzaga.

There is a sense of urgency for Duke to win a national championship this season since legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski is set to retire at the end of the campaign and hand the program over to Jon Scheyer.

Duke figures to remain among the top title contenders throughout the season thanks to the combination of junior forward Wendell Moore Jr. and freshman forward Paolo Banchero, who are both averaging over 17 points per game.

The game against Loyola (MD) had been scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

While the Greyhounds are 6-5 this season and have won five of their past six games, they would have been huge underdogs on the road against Duke.

It is unclear which teams may be candidates to replace Loyola on Saturday, but if no replacement can be found, Duke's next scheduled game is Wednesday against ACC foe Virginia Tech.

Saturday's men's basketball game between No. 2 Duke and Cleveland State has been canceled. 

Per an announcement from the Blue Devils, Cleveland State has announced a COVID-related pause in the basketball program. 

The announcement also noted Duke is "actively pursuing" a potential replacement opponent for Saturday. 

Cleveland State athletic director Scott Garrett issued a statement about the status of the basketball team:

Throughout the pandemic we have prioritized the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staff while training and competing. Coach Gates and the team have been extremely diligent in adhering to our protocols as well as deploying other proactive risk mitigation strategies. After consultation with our training staff and the Cleveland Clinic Sports Health Center, we are pausing team activity and will reassess in 10 days. While we are disappointed, it is clear that this is the responsible course of action.

In addition to Saturday's game against Duke, the Vikings have also canceled their Dec. 21 game against Kent State. 

Cleveland State isn't scheduled to play again until Dec. 30 against IUPUI at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in the Horizon League opener for both teams. 

Duke is still scheduled to host Appalachian State on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. If the Blue Devils are unable to find a new opponent for Saturday, they won't play again until Virginia Tech comes to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 22 in the ACC opener for both programs.    

Mark Mitchell is headed to Duke after the 5-star prospect announced his commitment Friday.

According to Joe Tipton of On3 Recruits, Mitchell said he committed to Duke because of his relationship with Jon Scheyer, who is the Blue Devils' associate head coach and will take over as head coach next season after Mike Krzyzewski retires.

Mitchell is the No. 15 overall player and No. 4 small forward in the 2022 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite ratings.

Duke beat out several high-profile programs to land the Wichita, Kansas, native, including UCLA and Missouri, who were both high on his list. Other schools to offer Mitchell a scholarship included Kansas and North Carolina.

At 6'8", 205 pounds, Mitchell has excellent size for his position at all levels, with the ability to dominate smaller forwards across college. His athleticism and long arms should especially help him inside, where he can finish above the rim with regularity.

The physical tools can also help Mitchell on the defensive end, where he should be able to match up with players at a variety of positions.

"Mark is an extremely gifted versatile basketball player," Sunrise Christian head coach Luke Barnwell said of the prospect, per Jacob Polacheck of ZagsBlog. "He will have the ability to affect the game every possession."

Mitchell gained the attention of many of the top programs across college basketball, eventually taking official visits to Duke, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Missouri and UCLA.

The young recruit still has room to improve, including more consistency with his handle and his outside shot, but he has the talent to make an immediate impact with his new team. Look for him to get playing time early freshman year and become a difference-maker on both ends of the court.

Mitchell should help Scheyer get his Duke tenure off to a great start as the program tries to remain a national title contender.

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge concluded Wednesday after three days of men's college hoops action featuring 14 total games.

Once again, the Big Ten has won this series after defeating the ACC 8-6. This year marks their third straight victory in the matchup.

The ACC historically leads the series, which has existed since 1999, with a 12-8-3 mark.

The Big Ten was the heavy favorite heading into Wednesday after taking a 6-2 lead. Iowa and Illinois led the tournament off with wins on Monday before four of six Big Ten teams reigned victorious on Tuesday.

Therefore, the Big Ten entered Wednesday needing just two wins to clinch this year's challenge. Michigan State and Wisconsin came through with those victories, although the ACC ended the night winning four of six contests.

Here's a look at Wednesday's results followed by brief recaps and highlights.

      

Wednesday's Results

No. 22 Michigan State 73, Louisville 64

Virginia Tech 62, Maryland 58

NC State 104, Nebraska 100 (4 OT)

North Carolina 72, No. 24 Michigan 51

No. 23 Wisconsin 70, Georgia Tech 66

Miami 63, Penn State 58

      

Louisville at No. 22 Michigan State

Malik Hall scored 15 points off the bench to lead No. 22 Michigan State to a 73-64 home win over Louisville.

ACC/B1G CHALLENGE W.

Highlights: pic.twitter.com/ItZwuDvmRy

— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) December 2, 2021

Michigan State shot 10-of-18 from the three-point line, with Hall knocking down all three of his tries from beyond the arc. He scored the final five points in a 13-2 second-half run that gave MSU a 52-39 lead.

Marcus Bingham Jr. did work down low with 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals to go along with his nine points. Tyson Walker added 10 assists.

Louisville guard El Ellis led all scorers with 22 points, and he got there in just 19 minutes off the bench.

     

Virginia Tech at Maryland

Virginia Tech overcame a seven-point second-half deficit to defeat Maryland 62-58, with Keve Aluma's 17-point, 12-rebound double-double leading the way.

Justyn Mutts scored 11 of his 16 points in the first half to give Virginia Tech a 31-29 halftime lead. Qudus Wahab scored 18 for Maryland to lead all scorers.

Virginia Tech trailed 43-36 with under 11 minutes remaining, but the Hokies responded with a 23-9 run to take a 59-52 lead following a Hunter Cattoor three-pointer.

🎯 @CattoorHunter 💦

📺 » ESPN2#StoneByStone | #Hokies 🦃 pic.twitter.com/t0cd71reiB

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) December 2, 2021

Maryland scored six straight in response, but Mutts' two-pointer with 20 seconds left gave the Hokies a 61-58 lead with 20 seconds left. Maryland's Hakim Hart then missed a three-pointer, and Mutts then closed the scoring with a free throw and four-point lead.

      

Nebraska at NC State

A four-overtime marathon ended in North Carolina State's favor as the Wolfpack won 104-100 behind 39 points from Dereon Seabron.

Cardiac Pack ‼️#WPN pic.twitter.com/rfizj9cmmp

— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) December 2, 2021

The sophomore shot 11-of-22 from the field and 17-of-20 from the free-throw line. He also added 18 rebounds. Three other Wolfpack players scored in double digits, led by 15 from Jericole Hellems.

North Carolina State won despite shooting just 6-of-34 from three-point range and 37.1 percent from the field. The Wolfpack got to the line early and often (32-of-42) compared to Nebraska (11-of-15) and also out-rebounded the Cornhuskers 66-51.

Alonzo Verge Jr. scored 25 for Nebraska, and Bryce McGowens added 24. The latter player was on the court for a game-high 58 minutes.

     

No. 24 Michigan at North Carolina

North Carolina outscored Michigan 43-24 in the second half to defeat the Wolverines 72-51.

Caleb Love scored 22 points for UNC to lead all scorers. He also added three steals.

That's TUFF 😤 @caleb2love

📺 https://t.co/BfrH9wzXRv pic.twitter.com/Oz9uFEYqY1

— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) December 2, 2021

Armando Bacot added an 11-point, 14-rebound double-double. UNC played a very clean game overall, committing just six turnovers while Michigan had 13.

Moussa Diabate scored 13 points to lead Michigan, which shot just 35.1 percent from the field and 5-of-16 from three-point range. Eli Brooks added 11 points. No other Wolverine had more than two made field goals.

       

No. 23 Wisconsin at Georgia Tech

A scoring duel between Wisconsin's Brad Davison and Georgia Tech's Michael Devoe highlighted this game.

While Devoe bested Davison 33-27 in the points department, Wisconsin ended up getting the win, 70-66.

Both players hit five three-pointers, with Devoe hitting all of his in the first half.

🖐️ triples in the first half and had his man on skates here 🛼 @mdevoe0 is a walking bucket.

📺 @espn 2
📻 @680TheFan pic.twitter.com/I0RddxSZaj

— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) December 2, 2021

Devoe ended up playing all 40 minutes, shooting 11-of-20 and adding six rebounds.

Johnny Davis' 15 points complemented Davison's scoring efforts, and he also had six rebounds and five dimes. No other player on either team had more than nine points. Deivon Smith added 11 rebounds off the bench for Georgia Tech.

     

Miami at Penn State

Sam Waardenburg led four Miami players in double digits with 14 points as Miami outlasted Penn State in a defensive slugfest, 63-58.

Isaiah Wong, Charlie Moore and Kameron McGusty each scored 12 for the Hurricanes, who committed just eight turnovers to PSU's 14. McGusty scored all of his points in the second half.

Penn State's John Harrar led all players with 16 points and 12 rebounds. He shot 6-of-6 from the field. Seth Lundy contributed 14 points for the Nittany Lions.

The Nittany Lions led 45-40 with 12:16 left in the second half after a Jalanni White layup despite withstanding a Miami three-point barrage:

Charlie, Sam and Jordan each hit back-to-back-to-back threes and Miami leads Penn State 38-34.

Watch: https://t.co/aJDiZhexnG pic.twitter.com/yW27rgKXWM

— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) December 2, 2021

However, McGusty then went on a personal 7-0 run to give the Hurricanes a two-point edge.

Those points provided half the output for a 14-3 run that include a pair of Moore layups and a Wong three-point play for a 54-48 lead. McGusty later hit a three-point dagger in the final minute for the 63-58 edge.

Skilled playmaker Robert Dillingham committed to North Carolina State on Wednesday.

Five-star class of 2023 guard Robert Dillingham is an NC State commit! @robwitdashifts pic.twitter.com/z5JZNr6kZz

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) December 1, 2021

The 6'2" point guard is the No. 8 overall player and ranks first at his position in 247Sports' composite rankings for 2023.

It's fairly common for prep athletes to transfer schools in order to further their development in a given sport. However, Dillingham raised eyebrows when he chose to enroll at Donda Academy, a new private school in Simi Valley, California, backed by Ye.

Despite Donda being such a fresh venture, it added two top prospects in the 2023 class (5-star JJ Taylor and 4-star Jalen Hooks) and Jahki Howard from the 2024 class besides Dillingham.

The school wasted little time in making a splash, and maintaining that momentum hinged partly on setting their players up for success. In that respect, Dillingham is likely to provide a positive testimonial.

247Sports' Jerry Meyer looked at his game in November and compared him to Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland: 

Possesses a special feel space and time on the court. Combines this awareness with an elite burst of quickness to gain separation. Highly confident sharp shooter from deep. Has a deft hop back jumper going to his right. Pulls up with effectiveness in the midrange going either direction. Loves to shoot a runner going left when can't get to the rim. Slick ball handler and crafty finisher. Has it on a string and can find teammates while penetrating.

Dillingham is dynamite with the ball in his hands. He doesn't need much space to beat his man off the dribble and dart into the paint, and he can stop on a dime and pull up when his defender cheats a bit to cut off the drive.

Robert Dillingham. Nasty 🔥🔥

🇺🇸 #USABMU16 x #FIBAU16Americas pic.twitter.com/XgLnmiySMs

— USABJNT (@usabjnt) August 25, 2021

That highlight came from the 2021 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, where the United States earned a gold medal in August. He averaged 15.7 points and 6.2 assists over 20.3 minutes in the six games of the tournament. He also shot 45.0 percent from the field and 31.0 percent from beyond the arc.

The North Carolina native still has some room to grow with his jumper, but the same can be said for many of his fellow 2023 recruits. The pieces are obviously there for him to be a force on offense.

Because of his 165-pound frame, defense is likely to be an issue now and in the future. There's only so much he can do when matched up with bigger guards or he's switched onto even bigger forwards.

But any coach will be willing to take the trade-off as long as Dillingham delivers as a scorer and facilitator.

His commitment could be a tone-setter for fifth-year NC State head coach Kevin Keatts. The Wolfpack are off to a strong 5-1 start in 2021-22 but have reached the NCAA tournament only once since 2015.

Dillingham's 0.9966 247Sports composite rating is the second-highest for the school going back to 2000. Former first-round NBA draft pick Dennis Smith Jr. (0.9975) was the only player rated higher.

Even assuming Dillingham sticks around for one year, his arrival could signal an upswing in Keatts' fortunes on the recruiting trail.

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski credited Ohio State for a relentless effort that allowed the Buckeyes to overcome a 13-point halftime deficit to upset the top-ranked Blue Devils on Tuesday night.

"I thought they wore us out," Coach K told reporters after the 71-66 loss in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. "We were really worn out at the end. ... They're well-coached. They're well-balanced."

The loss dropped Duke to 7-1 while OSU improved to 5-2 on the 2021-22 season.

It was a tale of two halves for Krzyzewski's group offensively. They made 18 of their 34 field-goal attempts before halftime (52.9 percent), but just seven of their 31 shots in the second half (22.6 percent) to leave the door open for the Ohio State comeback.

The Buckeyes took advantage, knocking down five threes as part of a rally that improved their home record to 4-0.

"I thought our ability to stay with it was really important," OSU head coach Chris Holtmann told reporters. "Players win games, and we had a number of guys make plays down the stretch."

Zed Key led the offensive charge for Ohio State with 20 points in 27 minutes. E.J. Liddell added 14 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, while Cedric Russell chipped in 12 points off the bench.

"We really dug in on the defensive side of things," Russell said. "It just felt good to come out on top, especially at home."

Wendell Moore Jr. (17 points) and Paolo Banchero (14), the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, paced Duke in the loss.

The Blue Devils were coming off their biggest win of the season to date, an upset of then-No. 1 Gonzaga on Friday. They also beat No. 10 Kentucky during their 7-0 start to the campaign.

Duke has a couple weeks off following the loss before returning to action Dec. 14 when it hosts South Carolina State at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Ohio State is back in action Sunday when it visits the Bryce Jordan Center to open Big Ten play against Penn State.