Bucks Set Record and Blow Out Wisconsin To End Season

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jon Diebler lived up to his "3-bler" nickname by hitting 7 of 8 shots behind the arc while scoring 27 points, leading top-ranked Ohio State to an emotion-laden 93-65 victory over No. 10 Wisconsin on Sunday.

Freshman Jared Sullinger added 22 points, William Buford had 18 and David Lighty 13 for the Buckeyes (29-2, 16-2 Big Ten), who got back at the Badgers (23-7, 13-5) for a painful loss a month ago. After that defeat, Sullinger said a fan spit in his face and Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan added, "We won the game. Deal with it."

Ohio State hit 6 of 7 3-pointers while building a 15-point halftime lead -- and never let up.

The Buckeyes had clinched the outright Big Ten title a day earlier thanks to No. 6 Purdue's 67-65 upset loss at Iowa.

As the game ended, a capacity crowd chanted, "Deal with it. Deal with it."

Ohio State hit 14 of 15 3-pointers in the game and shot 68 percent from the field.

The Badgers had hung a come-from-behind 71-67 victory on the Buckeyes on Feb. 12.

Fueling the bad blood, Ohio State distributed 1,400 scarlet-colored towels to fans that read "Deal With It" in white lettering. It ended up being a recurring theme as the game progressed.

When Ryan's picture was flashed on the giant monitors over midcourt before the game, there were loud boos.

Josh Gasser had 17 points, Jon Leuer 16 and Keaton Nankivil 10 for the Badgers. Jordan Taylor, who had scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half of the first meeting, was limited to 8 on 2 of 9 shooting. He was shadowed throughout the game by Ohio State freshman Aaron Craft.

The Badgers -- Taylor in particular -- had put together a phenomenal shooting exhibition in the second half to overtake the then-unbeaten Buckeyes.

Wisconsin drew as close as 56-45 on a Nankivil 3 with 14:15 left before the Buckeyes put the game on ice. Diebler, again, was at the heart of it, starting things with a 3. He later hit one off another off an inbounds play and then dribbled around a defender and stepped back for yet another to push the lead to 69-48 to cap a 10-0 run midway through the second half.

The rest of the game was a matter of killing time until the Buckeyes could cut down the nets and raise the Big Ten trophy.

Leuer picked up his second foul and went to the bench at the 12-minute mark of the opening half -- and perhaps not coincidentally Ohio State went on a roll. Diebler was fouled while making a 3 -- Gasser grabbed his head as if he were stunned the shot fell -- and made the free throw. Next time down the floor, Diebler hit another 3 for a 22-15 lead.

Diebler's dart from behind the arc off a drop pass from Buford at the 5:40 mark made it 29-20. On the next trip down the court, on an almost identical play, Lighty handed the ball to Buford for a 3 to push the lead into double figures.

Five days after he tied the Big Ten record with 10 3-pointers made in a game, Diebler closed out the half with another bomb from behind the arc in the final seconds of the half to make it 47-32 at the break.

In an eerie coincidence, that was the exact same lead Ohio State held with 13 minutes left in the first meeting at Kohl Center, only to have the Badgers find the range and come back for the upset.

Diebler had 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting behind the arc, but he wasn't the only Buckeye with a hot hand. Sullinger was 5 of 7 and had 12 points and Buford was 4 of 5 and had nine. They hit 17 of 25 (68 percent) from the field and were 6 of 7 behind the arc (86 percent).

To add to Wisconsin's woes, the Badgers were limited primarily to a perimeter game and almost never even looked inside. As a result, the Buckeyes shot nine free throws (hitting seven) in the opening 20 minutes while the Badgers did not shoot a free throw.

After seniors Lauderdale, Diebler and Lighty were introduced prior to their final game at Value City Arena, Lighty was recognized for his program-record 123 career wins -- "and counting," the announcer added.