What can I say about Ohio State that wasn’t stated very clearly by the numbers posted in Sunday’s regular season finale?
Diebler was unstoppable from long range once again (all photos- LaPrete/ AP)
A 93-65 final score.
An NCAA Division 1 record 14 consecutive 3-point makes.
14 of 15 shooting (93.3%) from beyond the arc– also a D-1 record– and 68.1% shooting overall.
4 players in double figures, including 2 with 20+ points.
To call Sunday’s win a demolition would be grossly inadequate.
On Senior Day at Value City Arena, the Buckeyes completely dismantled the Badgers in just about every way possible. After honoring David Lighty, Jon Diebler, Dallas Lauderdale, and Eddie Days, the team went to work immediately by building a large first-half lead and never looking back.
Craft owned his counterpart Taylor, holding the explosive Badger to 2 of 9 shooting
There was nothing Wisconsin could do against an OSU juggernaut that simply did not miss; OSU’s offense scored 47 before the break including 6 of 7 from 3-point range. Defensively, the Buckeyes were a wall that Wisconsin was unable to penetrate as possession after possession took the shot clock down to single digits. The Badgers were limited to 41.7% shooting, and point guard Jordan Taylor, who victimized the Buckeyes with a fantastic performance in Madison when the teams met earlier this year, was completely shut down by the stellar play of Aaron Craft.
Once Ohio State built its 15-point halftime lead, the closest Wisconsin got was 56-45.
Josh Gasser, Jon Leuer, and Keaton Nakivil were the only Badgers who scored with any regularity; the trio finished with 17, 16, and 10 and each player had a pair of 3s. But it simply wasn’t enough.
The vaunted Wisconsin D had by far its worst showing of the season as the Buckeyes avenged one of their 2 losses. After losing in the Kohl Center 71-67, the Buckeyes got no love from Badgers’ coach Bo Ryan who said, “We won the game. Deal with it.”
The sellout crowd at The Schott twisted that statement into its own motivation, waving scarlet towels that read “Deal With It” throughout the blowout performance.
Wisoonsin couldn't counter Sully's strength in the paint as the Bucks dominated inside and out
Jon Diebler led the Bucks with 27 points and is now 17 for his last 20 3-point attempts. Jared Sullinger had a big day inside, going for 22 points and 8 rebounds before giving way to the team’s seniors with a little more than 3 minutes remaining. William Buford had 18 and David Lighty add 13.
“I don’t know if you could script it much better,” said Thad Matta. “Our defensive energy was incredible … and offensively the shots were falling. It was incredible how well we shot the basketball.”
No one can. The performance was almost indescribable. The Bucks had already won the outright Big Ten title thanks to Iowa’s upset of Purdue on Saturday, but that obviously didn’t temper the players’ ambition.
Referencing the defeat at the Kohl Center, Sullinger said, “That first loss in college, I didn’t take that too lightly. I wanted to win, and I wanted to win big, too.”
I think this qualifies.
Ohio State will now enjoy a bye in the first round of the conference tournament before facing the winner of Northwestern-Minnesota next Friday at noon.
Your 2010-2011 Big Ten Champs
