Senior Day in Columbus was simply perfect.
The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes avenged a frustrating loss to Wisconsin on February 12th and concluded the greatest regular season in school history.
OSU passed out 1400 "Deal With It" towels to the student section before the game in hopes of firing up the "Nut House." The towels, a mock reference to UW coach Bo Ryan's comments following "spitgate", worked their magic as the Value City Arena crowd was whipped into a frenzy long before the opening tip-off.
Inspired by the electric atmosphere, the Buckeyes built up a double-digit lead early in the 1st half, and Jon Diebler's 3-pointer from well beyond the arc moments before halftime enabled Ohio State to enter the locker room with a 47-32 advantage.
The Bucks proceeded to pile it on in the 2nd half, leading to the lop-sided final score.
Jon Diebler canned 7 of his 8 3-balls (the team as a whole made an incredible 14 of 15), and the senior guard known as "3bler" scored 27 to lead all scorers.
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| Lighty celebrates OSU's Big Ten title |
Jared Sullinger, the victim of "spitgate", played like a man possessed. Sully tallied 22 points and corralled 8 rebounds.
Aaron Craft, as usual, was the unsung hero for the Buckeyes. The crafty freshman point guard single-handedly shut down Jordan Taylor, the same Jordan Taylor who scored 27 on Ohio State in Madison. Taylor totaled only 8 on this day.
Leading 87-62 late in the contest, Thad Matta replaced Diebler, David Lighty, and Dallas Lauderdale, a gesture that enabled the crowd to recognize those 3 seniors 1 final time. As the fans rose to their feet, Lighty bent down and kissed the Ohio State midcourt logo. It was the perfect ending to a perfect afternoon.
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