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No. 2 Ohio State buries No. 3 Duke

Nov 30, 2011 - 5:49 AM Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Statement made.

Jared Sullinger owned the paint with 21 points and William Buford led a trio of guards that dominated the perimeter with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists, as second-ranked Ohio State buried third-ranked Duke, 85-63, in a game as lopsided as the score indicates.

Billed as the marquee event of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, and a battle of Ohio State's Sullinger against Duke's guards, it was Ohio State's perimeter players that set the tone. Deshaun Thomas scored 18 points and Aaron Craft added 17 points, eight assists and five rebounds for Ohio State (7-0), which never trailed in a thorough waxing of a team fresh off a Maui Invitational title.

"Anytime you play a big-time program you have to come out and play hard," said Craft. "It was a great measuring stick to see where we are as a team."

Austin Rivers scored 22 points and Mason Plumlee added 16 points and eight boards, but the duo received little help, making 15 of the team's 26 field goals. Duke (7-1), known for its long-range shooting, made just 3-of-15 in that department.

"I thought Ohio State played a great game against us," said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. "They were a fresher team; I thought our team played tired."

The Buckeyes had the extra energy and efficiency from the outset, scoring the game's first nine points, most of them easy buckets inside. Three consecutive layups, bookended by a pair from Buford opened the early onslaught. The margin grew to 13-2, but Duke rattled off the next 10 capped by six straight from Rivers for a 13-12 game.

Clinging to a one-point edge, Ohio State again took to the offensive, rattling off 10 consecutive points to open a 28-17 advantage. Layups by Buford and Thomas finished off the stretch, another in a long line of opening-half blows by the Buckeyes. Duke hung by a thread, trailing by 10 at 36-26, until another Ohio State flurry. Buford buried a jumper then Thomas rattled off five in a row for a 43-26 lead. The forward scored his 12th and 13th points of the half on Thomas' short jumper just before the horn for a 47-28 lead.

Buford joined Thomas with 13 points, while Sullinger added 12 in an impressive opening half for the Buckeyes.

The second half was just as efficient, as the home team never allowed one of Duke's trademark runs, allowing the Buckeye faithful to soak in the victory and start an "overrated" chant in the final minute.

Thomas scored five more points in the first three-plus minutes, pushing the edge out to 55-32, and the dismantling continued as Craft's trey made the score 73-48 with just over 6 1/2 minutes to go. Both teams played out most of the final minutes with the outcome already secured.

Game Notes

Ohio State shot 59 percent from the floor and made 8-of-14 threes...Duke made 47 percent of its shots, but committed 12 turnovers to 10 assists...Ohio State received all but six of its points from the bench...The teams have split six all-time meetings.