Buckeyes Clinch Share of Big Ten Title, Earn No. 1 Seed in Big Ten Tournament

The Buckeyes knew what they had to do, and the packed house at Value City Arena reminded them when they took the court for warmups. The atmosphere was electric, and adding to the drama was the fact it was Senior Night.

Several Buckeye seniors shed tears when announced at midcourt before the game, reassuring fans that it would be an emotional, toughly fought game. Among those seniors was Mark Titus, whose Club Trillion T-shirt sales raised over $25,000 for A Kid Again charity this week.

Once the game started, it was all business on the Buckeyes' end. They jumped out to another quick start and took a 37-33 lead into the half. It was still a close game until OSU went on a 12-0 run in the second and broke the game wide open. Illinois couldn’t recover and was outscored 36-24 in the second half.

Mike Tisdale fouled out midway through the second half with 10 points, ending any chance at an Illini comeback. Only two other players scored in double figures for Illinois: Demetri McCamey and Brandon Paul.

McCamey had a team-high 18 points, and seven assists. Paul finished with 11 points, going 5-13 from the field. Illinois shot 37 percent from the field, and 30 percent from behind the arc.

Once again, Ohio State’s starters got the job done without much help from the bench. Every starter but Dallas Lauderdale finished with double figures in scoring on the day.

David Lighty stepped up after a dismal performance last weekend with 15 points and five rebounds. He atoned from his horrendous free throw showing against Michigan by going 6-8 on the night.

Evan Turner struggled most of the night, but still found a way to get 16 points and 12 rebounds. He earned his seventh Player of the Week honors last weekend, and looks to be well on his way to number eight. He may have sealed the Player of the Year trophy as well.

William Buford continues to be a huge part of the buckeyes offensive game plan. His ability to stretch the court leads to break away points for he and his teammates. His 17 points and seven rebounds kept OSU in control in the second half.

The story of the night was Jon Diebler. He finished with a game-high 21 points, and for the first time this season, got to leave a game early to a standing ovation. He went 7-14 from beyond the arc, and started out 4-4 early in the first half. Diebler’s hot hand will be a valuable weapon for the Buckeyes in both, the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

Ohio State (24-7) will be the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament, and have finished the regular season. The Buckeyes still have an outside shot to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but a No. 2 seed seems much more likely. That still may give them just as easy a road to the Final Four without the pressure a No. 1 seed brings to the table.

Right now, no one in Columbus is worried about that. Tonight, it’s all about another Big Ten Championship, the third during Thad Matta’s tenure at Ohio State.