Duke improves to 7-2 after win over No. 25 Ohio State

DURHAM, NC — The No. 17 ranked Duke Blue Devils defeated No. 25 Ohio State 81-72 to improve to 7-2 on Wednesday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Kyle Filipowski led the way for the Blue Devils with 16 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in the final year of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Today marked Filipowski’s ninth consecutive game in double figures as he’s the only Blue Devil to do so.

Coming into this matchup, a ton of emphasis was put on the ability to control the glass by Duke coach Jon Scheyer — a challenge the Blue Devils embraced wholeheartedly. Duke out-rebounded Ohio State, 34-31, and has out-rebounded eight of its first nine opponents this season.

A lot of thanks for the rebound battle being won goes to the big man trio of Filipowski, Ryan Young and Dereck Lively II, the latter of whom had his best game yet as a Blue Devil.

Lively II reached double figures for the first time in his Duke career as the 7-footer finished with 11 points, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal in just 18 minutes. Lively manned the middle at a high level and made it tough for the Buckeyes to get good looks at the rim that weren’t heavily contested.

“For Dereck, it’s only been a few weeks and I just love the mindset, how he keeps working,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer told me after the game. “I’m really proud of his effort tonight. I thought it was a huge jump. He’s rebounding in traffic more. We just need to keep rolling with all of them.”

Stay tuned for more post-game updates to this story.