Three stories to watch in Duke-Ohio State showdown

Three things to watch as No. 4 Duke travels to Columbus to face No. 2 Ohio State in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge:

1) How will the Blue Devils guard Jared Sullinger?

The 6-foot-9, 280 pound Sullinger poses matchup problems for most teams, but could prove especially challenging for a Duke team that lacks a similar big body. Mason Plumlee has taken great strides on both ends of the floor thus far this season, including a stellar defensive effort against Kansas superstar forward Thomas Robinson in Maui, but cedes 45 pounds to Sullinger. Although Blue Devil fans can expect to see Plumlee and Ryan Kelly double Sullinger in the paint, and perhaps see more of the bigger Miles Plumlee, in this case the best defense might be a good offense—if Mason Plumlee can use his athletic ability to draw fouls on Sullinger in the post, that could take the Buckeye star out of his rhythm offensively.

2) How does Austin Rivers rebound from a subpar showing against Kansas?

It looked as if Duke's heralded freshman had taken a step forward in Maui after scoring a combined 38 points against Tennessee and Michigan while showing off an improved defensive game. But against Kansas, Rivers sat for a majority of the final 10 minutes with four fouls in favor of Tyler Thornton and his superior perimeter defense. Rivers did finish the game with 10 points, but also recorded no assists in his 27 minutes of play. Against Ohio State, Rivers will face his biggest test of the year with a likely matchup against William Buford, an experienced senior averaging nearly 18 points per game this season. How Rivers comes back from the Kansas game both psychologically and physically could play a big role in the outcome of this showdown.

3) How does Duke deal with its first road contest of the year?

The Blue Devils dealt with a little crowd noise against Kansas in a stadium that appeared to be dominated by Jayhawk fans, but that will be nothing like the environment they'll face in Columbus. The Buckeye faithful will be clamoring for an upset in just their third matchup against Duke in the last 33 years, and the student section will be energized for the first major contest of the year. The inexperienced Blue Devils have shown they can deal with the spotlight in Maui, but they'll now have to prove they can do so in a hostile environment.