It was supposed to be the marquee game of the season for Ohio State -- a stiff test for the second ranked Buckeyes when they faced the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils in Columbus on Tuesday night. What unfolded was just another rout for Ohio State as the Blue Devils folded in an 85-63 blowout.
“Sometimes you just get your butt kicked,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said after the game. “My butt is sore... I was focused on trying not to lose by 30.”
The Buckeyes were able to dominate Duke in their Big Ten/ACC challenge matchup with a balanced attack offensively. Jared Sullinger led the Buckeyes with 21 points while William Buford added 20, Deshaun Thomas scored 18 and Aaron Craft had 17. While seemingly every Buckeye player that hit the court performed well, Deshaun Thomas was the star. Thomas went on a streak where he hit eight straight shots, almost single-handedly taking over the game during the brief time frame where the contest was competitive.
“I wanted to have a big game for my teammates,” Thomas said. “I was kind of the x-factor today. It was fun.”
The Buckeyes got out to a fast start in the first half. After both teams missed their first three shots, Aaron Craft kicked off the scoring by connecting on a 3-pointer. That sparked an 11-0 run for the Buckeyes that ignited a packed Value City Arena.
How you feel about the Ohio State Buckeyes hiring Urban Meyer as its next football coach probably says a lot about how you feel about college football in general these days.
It had to happen eventually. 
- Saturday, November 26, 2011
