Duke basketball: 2 studs, 3 duds from loss against Ohio State

It was an ugly night for the Duke basketball team in Columbus in its first loss of the season to Ohio State. 

Heading into an extended break, the Duke basketball program continues to sit on its loss against Ohio State on Tuesday night.

The Blue Devils were coming off of an upset victory over No. 1 Gonzaga, who has since struggled in a victory against Tarleton and a loss to No. 10 Alabama.

However, the lone loss on the Duke schedule this far comes with disappointment as the Blue Devils should have easily won if not for a massive second half collapse.

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Mike Krzyzewski saw his freshmen look like freshmen, which has yet to happen this season, and his team only made seven field goals in the second half.

Duke led by 13 points at halftime and by as many as 15 points in the second half.

One positive for the Blue Devils was the fact that the team only committed seven turnovers in the game, but the shooting numbers were troubling, making 38.5-percent from the field and 28.6-percent from 3-point range.

Duke was also outrebounded by four, 40-36, and was called for nine more fouls than Ohio State.

Duke basketball could not handle shorthanded Ohio State

Entering the season, the Buckeyes were ranked as the No. 19 team in the country but have been hampered by a handful of injuries this season.

Seth Towns, Eugene Brown, and Justice Sueing all remained sidelined for Ohio State as head coach Chris Holtmann needed a last-second miracle from his squad to beat Akron while losing to Xavier and Florida prior to its meeting with No. 3 Duke.

Of note, Ohio State defeated No. 21 Seton Hall this season, but it rode Zed Key and EJ Liddell to its biggest win of the season.

Duke only had a few players perform at the level they are capable of, while a handful of players shrunk under the bright lights of a road atmosphere.