The Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Duke Blue Devils. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Ohio State Duke prediction and pick.

The Purdue Boilermakers crushed Duke on Sunday at the Phil Knight Legacy event. Duke was greatly outclassed by a Big Ten opponent, which provides the backdrop to this game, part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Duke is learning how to play together under new coach Jon Scheyer, one year after Paolo Banchero gave the Blue Devils an elite offensive force. Not having Banchero in the lineup means that returning players such as Jeremy Roach need to find new ways to score against defenses which are able to pay more attention to them. Duke's offense has already had multiple clunkers this season, one being against Purdue and another one being last Thursday against Oregon State. The Blue Devils lack continuity in their halfcourt offense and need to arrive at a style of play which works for them. Scheyer has to go back to the drawing board and unlock a formula which enables his team to thrive at that end of the floor. In the meantime, Duke needs an above-average defense to get the job done while it tries to figure out how to get the most from its offense.

Ohio State has lost once this season, to San Diego State. The Buckeyes fell to the Aztecs in Maui in a high-scoring game. They were able to respond to that loss by hammering Cincinnati and then taking care of Texas Tech. Ohio State won that Texas Tech game 80-73. Texas Tech is regarded as one of the best defensive teams in the country, so it was impressive that the Buckeyes were able to post 80 against the Red Raiders. Justice Sueing exploded for 33 points in that game for the Buckeyes, who are likely to need a similarly dominant game from their meal-ticket scorer if they want to win on the road against Duke.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Ohio State-Duke College Basketball odds.

College Basketball Odds: Ohio State-Duke Odds

Ohio State Buckeyes: +5.5 (-110)

Duke Blue Devils: -5.5 (-110)

Over: 135.5 (-114)

Under: 135.5 (-106)

Why Ohio State Could Cover the Spread

This is a Duke team which is trying to arrive at an identity. It certainly hasn't found one yet this season. Duke might very well be a great team in February or late January, but right now, a new coach and a set of players are trying to get on the same page and manage their resources properly. Duke is a team in search of itself, while you can see that Ohio State has a lot more rhythm and flow at the offensive end of the court and is a more cohesive team at the moment. Duke was favored to beat Purdue this past Sunday, when anyone could see that Purdue was the better team, playing better basketball. Duke is getting way too much respect with this betting line. Ohio State should be able to cover.

Why Duke Could Cover the Spread

Jon Scheyer looked at film of the Purdue loss and was able to see why his team isn't turning the corner on offense. The Blue Devils should be able to adjust to what has hurt them in the early stages of the season. They're playing this game at home and should be highly motivated to bounce back.

Final Ohio State-Duke Prediction & Pick

This is a game in which Duke might win outright, but Ohio State should definitely be able to keep the game close with its offense. Duke's defense might not be ready to deliver the shutdown performance needed to cover the spread.

Final Ohio State-Duke Prediction & Pick: Ohio State +5.5