The Ohio State Buckeyes will take on the top ranked Duke Blue Devils tonight at 9:30 pm ET as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on ESPN.

The Buckeyes now sit at 4-2 on the year following their loss to Florida in the championship round of the Fort Myers Tip-Off. the Buckeyes squandered a lead late, due to some poor decision making and sloppy play, that eventually led to a buzz beater by Tyree Appleby.

The Buckeyes continued to be led in scoring by Junior E.J. Liddell who had 23 points and 5 blocks. However, his contributions weren’t enough with the Buckeyes allowing 15 offensive rebounds and turning the ball over 18 times. Ultimately, a physical game with a plethora of foul calls didn’t favor the Buckeyes who lost Kyle Young to fouls mid-way through the second half and saw the Gators attempt 13 more free throws. All these factors allowed the Gators to hang close and eventually take advantage of miscues by the Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes opponent, the Duke Blue Devils sit at 7-0 atop the ACC. The Blue Devils come in hot following a Friday night upset of previous #1 Gonzaga. Forward Paolo Banchero showed why many believe him to be the top NBA draft prospect as he led the team with 21 points to go along with five rebounds. Alongside him in the frontcourt will be two other talented Blue Devils in Wendell Moore and Mark Williams. Looking to add another top tier win to their already impressive resume, the Blue Devils head into Columbus ready for a fight.

The head to head battle of Liddell and Banchero will be the matchup to watch all night. If the Buckeyes can find a way to slow him down and clean up some sloppy play, a good game should ensue.

Catch all the action at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Featured images via: Joseph Maiorana and Rob Kinnan, USA Today