COLUMBUS — Zed Key scored a career-high 20 points and Ohio State held top-ranked Duke scoreless for the final 4 1/2 minutes, completing a rally from a 15-point second-half deficit to beat the Blue Devils 71-66 on Tuesday night.
E.J. Liddell hit two free throws with 1:06 remaining to give the Buckeyes (5-2) their first lead since early in the first half, and his jumper made it 69-66 with 16 seconds left. Duke freshman star Paolo Banchero missed a tying 3-pointer, and Cedric Russell got the rebound and closed it out at the free-throw line. Ohio State fans stormed the court as time expired.
The Blue Devils (7-1) claimed the top spot in this week’s AP Top 25 poll — a stay that could be brief — after beating then-No. 1 Gonzaga in Las Vegas. Ohio State improved to 2-1 against ranked foes this year with its fourth straight game decided in the final minutes.
Liddell finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for Ohio State, which beat the No. 1 team in the country for the second straight time on its home court. The Buckeyes knocked off Michigan State 80-64 on Jan. 7, 2018.
Wendell Moore Jr. led the Blue Devils with 17 points and Banchero finished with 14.
Ohio State’s Kyle Young, left, and Jamari Wheeler, right, and Duke’s Wendell Moore chase a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
https://www.limaohio.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2021/12/web1_127706717-9d9f9c1afa634632b7016167d61b3c29.jpgOhio State’s Kyle Young, left, and Jamari Wheeler, right, and Duke’s Wendell Moore chase a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State’s Kyle Young, right, looks for an open pass as Duke’s Joey Baker defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
https://www.limaohio.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2021/12/web1_127706717-68c365aa103d42ec9250d97b736a690f.jpgOhio State’s Kyle Young, right, looks for an open pass as Duke’s Joey Baker defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann instructs his team against Duke during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
https://www.limaohio.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2021/12/web1_127706717-4d4868fbca024d58bb9c7dd51f42945b.jpgOhio State head coach Chris Holtmann instructs his team against Duke during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
