SBNation.com - College Hoops Sunday: Buckeyes Beat Spartans, Big Ten Title Split 3 Ways

VIDEO: William Buford Hits Game-Winner For Ohio State

2012-03-05T00:07:22Z

William Buford was the hero of the day for Ohio State as he finished with a game-high 25 points in the Buckeyes' 72-70 win over Michigan State in the final game of the Big Ten regular season. The win gave the Buckeyes a share of the Big Ten regular season title, along with Michigan State and Michigan. It's like one giant ball of rivalry hate, all atop the Big Ten standings.

It wasn't just Buford's scoring output that was impressive, though. His clutch shots were huge for the Buckeyes and his fadeaway two with one second to go proved to be the game-winner. Here's a sampling of his body of work from Sunday.

Notice Sam Thompson under the hoop after the first shot. He should get two points for the takedown, plus a bonus point for dropping a second Michigan State player in the process. Just textbook form there.

For more on the Spartans, check out Michigan State blog The Only Colors and SB Nation Detroit. For fans' takes and analysis of the Buckeyes, visit Along The Olentangy. For everything on the Big Ten, head to Off Tackle Empire.

VCU Vs. George Mason Final Score: Rams Advance To CAA Conference Championship Game With 74-64 Win

2012-03-05T00:04:54Z

The Virginia Commonwealth Rams led 32-4 at one point in the first half, as the George Mason Patriots went over eight minutes without a field goal to start the game. George Mason eventually found something resembling offensive rhythm, but the large early deficit proved too much to overcome. The Rams will play in the CAA Conference Championship Game on Monday after defeating the Patriots 74-64 on Sunday.

VCU started 7-for-7 from beyond the 3-point arc, but went just 4-for-18 the rest of the way. Bradford Burgess and Troy Daniels stayed hot for 40 minutes, however, leading the Rams with 20 and 17 points, respectively. The two were a combined 9-for-17 from long range.

Mike Morrison was dominant for George Mason, scoring 20 in addition to 11 rebounds to help his team claw back. The Patriots dominated the Rams on the boards, with 38-20 advantage on rebounds. They also committed 17 turnovers, however. CAA Player of the Year Ryan Pearson never got going with just three field goal attempts and six points for the game.

For all news and information regarding college hoops, please visit SB Nation's dedicated NCAA basketball hub.

No. 10 Ohio State Vs. No. 5 Michigan State Final Score: William Buford Hits Buzzer-Beater, Forces 3-Way Tie Atop Big Ten

2012-03-04T23:45:11Z

The Ohio State Buckeyes forced a three-way tie for the regular season Big Ten Conference title, defeating the Michigan State Spartans, 72-70, on a long William Buford jumper with one second to go in the game. The Spartans led by as many as 15 points in the first half, and took a nine-point lead into halftime. Buford keyed a big comeback for the Buckeyes, scoring 14 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half to lead Ohio State with 25 points.

The Spartans took a 70-68 lead with under a minute to go, but the extra attention paid on center Jared Sullinger left Aaron Craft wide open in the left corner for a long 2-pointer. A missed Green jumper gave the Buckeyes the ball back with 24.7 seconds on the clock. Craft dribbled the clock down before dumping the ball off to William Buford, who hit a long 2-pointer over Keith Appling near the top of the key to put the Buckeyes up 72-70 with one second to go.

The Buckeyes took the lead back for the first time since the early minutes of the game on a DeShaun Thomas layup with under 10 minutes to go in the game. The game featured nine lead changes from that point on. Both teams played tight throughout. The Spartans owned a slight advantage shooting from the floor, 45.5 percent to 42.1 percent for the game. The Buckeyes were strong from the free throw line, going 20-for-28 from the stripe.

Jared Sullinger and Draymond Green both missed extended minutes in the second half after picking up their fourth fouls. Both players started out 4-for-15 from the floor, but were counted on in key moments down the stretch. Sullinger had three rebounds, a tip-in and a key assist after returning with three minutes to go. Green scored the Spartans' final four points to lead the team with 19 for the game.

VCU Vs. George Mason Score: Anemic Start Puts Patriots In 48-32 Hole At Halftime

2012-03-04T22:50:12Z

The George Mason Patriots did not make a field goal for over eight minutes to start the first half, going down 32-4 at one point before clawing their way back to be down only 48-32 against the Viginia Commonwealth Rams on Sunday.

The Rams shot lights out from the starting gate, at one point going 7-for-7 from beyond the 3-point line. They cooled, making just 1-of-6 to finish out the half, but the offensive performance was impressive nonetheless. Bradford Burgess and Troy Daniels had 11 points each to lead the way, combining to go 6-for-10 from beyond the arc.

Mike Morrison finally got things going for the Patriots, scoring 12 on 5-for-7 from the field, adding six rebounds and two blocks to put George Mason on the verge of respectability going into the locker room. CAA Conference Player of the Year Ryan Pearson has just two points and three turnovers for the game.

For all news and information regarding college hoops, please visit SB Nation's dedicated NCAA basketball hub.

Illinois State Vs. Creighton Score: Bluejays Hold Off Redbirds In Overtime To Win MVC Championship

2012-03-04T21:39:57Z

The Illinois State Redbirds held a one-point lead at halftime, and took the top-seeded Creighton Bluejays to overtime during Sunday's MVC Tournament Championship Game. They couldn't complete what would have been a bubble-busting upset for one unlucky major conference team, however, falling 17-13 in OT for a final score of 83-79.

Illinois State was down as many as 11 points, but a big rally to close the first half gave them the lead. The two teams went back and forth over the next 20 minutes, trading the lead nine times. Nic Moore tied the game for the Redbirds at 66-66 on a layup with just six seconds left in regulation. Antoine Young missed what would have been the game-winning jumper for the Bluejays, and Gregory Echenique missed the tip-in off the rebound to send the game into overtime.

Creighton dominated after intermission, going up by nine points on a 13-4 run out of the gate. The Redbirds clawed back, however, pulling within three points on a Jon Ekey three-pointer with 12 seconds on the clock. Out of options, Illinois State fouled Young who made the front end of his two free throws to seal the win and the NCAA Tournament bid for the Bluejays.

Doug McDermott led the way for Creighton with 33 points on 12-for-18 shooting. Young scored eight of his 14 points in overtime, going 8-for-14 from the free throw line. Moore paced the Redbirds with 20 points. Jackie Carmichael picked up nine rebounds to go along with his 17 points. He couldn't fully make up the difference in a 36-29 advantage for the Bluejays on the boards.

For all news and information regarding college hoops, please visit SB Nation's dedicated NCAA basketball hub.

Drexel Vs. Old Dominion Final Score: Dragons Win Spot In CAA Tournament Final

2012-03-04T21:11:16Z

The top-seeded Drexel Dragons are headed to their first CAA championship game since 1993, beating the Old Dominion Monarchs 68-51 on Sunday for their 19th straight win.

The Dragons' three-guard lineup was highly effective against the Monarchs. Frantz Massenat led the way with 20 points, while Damion Lee and Chris Fouch added 17 and 16 points respectively.

Dragons forward Samme Givens added 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Drexel led 27-17 at halftime and the Monarchs never got closer than eight points after that.

The Dragons meet the winner of VCU and George Mason.

Follow Sunday's college basketball action on our College Basketball Sunday StoryStream. For more on the CAA men's basketball tournament 2012, be sure to check out this SB Nation DC StoryStream. Meanwhile, SB Nation's college basketball hub will have all the news and nuggets you need in preparation for March and the madness it brings.

Drexel Vs. Old Dominion Score: Drags Lead Monarchs 27-17

2012-03-04T20:24:47Z

The top-seeded Drexel Dragons opened up the CAA men's basketball semifinal with a 9-0 run and haven't looked back against the Old Dominion Monarchs, leading 27-17 at halftime behind some staunch defense.

The Dragons are getting most of their production from the backcourt duo of Chris Fouch and Frantz Massenat.

When these teams played just one week ago, the Dragons were able to escape with a 73-72 win in Norfolk, Va. But if form holds form the first half, then this time it doesn't look like it'll be quite as close.

The winner will move to the conference tournament final and face the winner of George Mason and VCU.

No. 13 Michigan Vs. Penn State: Wolverines Win To Keep Big Ten Title Dream Alive

2012-03-04T20:21:44Z

Led by Trey Burke's 19 points, No. 13 Michigan won at Penn State 71-65, surviving a late rally from the Nittany Lions. With victory in hand, the Wolverines are now in the uncomfortable position of cheering for their arch-rivals from the south: if No. 11 Ohio State can upset No. 5 Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich., the Wolverines, Buckeyes and Spartans will finish in a three-way tie for the Big Ten's regular-season crown.

Michigan led by as many 19 with 9:05 left in the game, but Penn State battled back over the next eight minutes to make it a four-point game with 69 seconds left. That's as close as they could come to an upset, though, as the Wolverines made four of five free throws once Penn State resorted to fouling to stop the clock.

Jermaine Marshall scored 27 points while playing all 40 minutes for Penn State. Ross Travis (15 points) and Tim Frazier (11 points) were the only two other players to score in double digits. Marshall also finished with eight rebounds, while Travis accounted for five of Penn State's eight assists in the game.

For Michigan, Evan Smotrycz scored 17 points off the bench, hitting 3 of 4 three-point attempts. Tim Hardaway, Jr. added 13 while Zack Novak scored 11 before fouling out in 26 minutes.

For more on this game, visit Michigan blog Maize n Brew, SB Nation Detroit, Penn St. blog Black Shoe Diaries and SB Nation Pittsburgh.