Duke vs. Ohio State: Blue Devils Won't Be Able to Stop Jared Sullinger

It doesn't get much bigger than this: Duke vs. Ohio State.

The Blue Devils, led by legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, are currently No. 4 in the nation, with all five of their starters averaging in double figures.

Beyond double-double machine Mason Plumlee, the Blue Devils have four players who can make you pay from long range: Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly, Andre Dawkins and freshman sensation Austin Rivers.

Rivers entered this season as ESPN's No. 3 prospect. He's shown the tools that could make him a star in college basketball and beyond, but he's struggled with inconsistency and turnover problems thus far.

Duke has a very balanced team, with the ability to put up big points and defend well at the same time. They're 7-0 and coming off two victories against then-No. 15 Michigan and then-No. 14 Kansas.

As for No. 2 Ohio State, the only ranked team the Buckeyes have played has been then-No. 8 Florida, who they defeated, 81-74.

The big challenge for Duke is stopping the Ohio State offense, led by superstar sophomore Jared Sullinger, who is averaging 18.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals while shooting 63 percent from the floor and 85 percent from the charity stripe.

That's where I see the Blue Devils falling.

I just don't see any way Duke can stop Sullinger. He's coming off a 14-point, 13-rebound, five-assist, four-steal performance against Valparaiso and nobody has been able to stop him this season.

There's a reason why Duke is ranked 250th in the nation in rebounds per game: they don't have much size in the post. That's a problem when matching up with an athletic freak of nature in the 6'9", 280-pound Sullinger.

Ohio State also has someone to make the Blue Devils pay if they pay too much attention to Sullinger in the post. That someone is senior guard William Buford, who is averaging 17.7 points per game while hitting 50 percent of his 3-point attempts.

You add in the fact that this game is being played in Columbus and it's going to be very hard for the Blue Devils to score the upset.

Of course, Krzyzewski's teams have always had the ability to do amazing things.

Look for this to be a great game, with Sullinger and the Buckeyes ultimately coming away with the victory.