Ohio State Wins Record 3rd Big Ten Tournament Title

It took a near miracle on Friday and double overtime Saturday, but Sunday was much kinder to Ohio State fans. the Buckeyes used a dominant second half performance to cruise to a 90-61 victory over a tired Minnesota team in Indianapolis. The win was the most anti-climactic game of the weekend after a pair of overtime games and one half-court buzzer beater. Ohio State led 33-30 at the half, but blew the game open with a 58 point performance out of hte break.

The Golden Gophers will have a short wait to see their fate on the NCAA bubble. Minnesota made a great case for inclusion into the NCAA Tournament by beating Penn State, Michigan State, and Purdue, but they were unable to become the second team in Big Ten Tournament history to win for games in four days to get the automatic bid. With wins over conference co-champs Michigan State and Purdue, however, they have done all they could short of winning the automatic bid.

Ohio State got incredible balance from its iron five, placing four players in double figures. Tournament MVP Evan Turner once again wowed the crowd with 31 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Jon Diebler also had possibly his best game of the tournament with 19 points, while David Lighty had 20. Ohio State made its case for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but will face a tough challenge from West Virginia and Duke for that spot.