Buckeyes Pay Wisconsin Back With Interest

Sullinger and the Buckeyes get revenge

Diebler lived up to his "Threebler" nickname Sunday, by hitting 7 of 8 shots behind the arc while scoring 27 points, as Ohio State (29-2, 16-2 Big Ten) set NCAA Division I records by making 14 of 15 3-pointers (93.3 percent) and hitting 14 in a row -- after missing the first. Still hurting from their first loss of the year, a 71-67 setback at Wisconsin on Feb. 12, the Buckeyes unleashed their best game of the season -- shutdown defense at one end and 68-percent shooting from the field at the other.


Freshman Jared Sullinger had 22 points just weeks after accusing a Wisconsin fan of spitting in his face as he left the floor at the Kohl Center. He had told several people that he not only wanted to beat the Badgers, but that he wanted to beat them by 50 points. It wasn't that big of a blowout, but they did defeat the Badgers by 28 in the 93-65 win. William Buford added 18 points and David Lighty 13 for the Buckeyes, who won their 22nd straight home game while dropping Wisconsin to just 4-5 in Big Ten road games this season.

Ryan had been the focal point for many fans in a capacity crowd of 18,809 who felt he had disrespected the Buckeyes after the first meeting when he said, "We won the game. Deal with it."

Josh Gasser had 17 points, Jon Leuer 16 and Keaton Nankivil 10 for the Badgers (23-7, 13-5). Jordan Taylor, who had scored 21 of his 27 points to lead the comeback in the second half of the first meeting, was limited to eight points on 2-of-9 shooting. He was shadowed throughout the game by Ohio State freshman Aaron Craft.

My Thoughts:

- The Buckeyes made 14 of 15 from 3-point range. The 93.3 percent is the best in Division I history with a minimum of 10 attempts. Diebler was a big part of that, but Buford also deserves some love with hitting a couple.

-  Ohio State made its last 14 3-point attempts after Jon Diebler missed his first attempt with 13:42 remaining in the first half. The 14 straight 3-pointers are also a Division I record. Talk about finishing.

- Ohio State finished undefeated at home (20-0) for the second time in the past 20 seasons, and the first time since the 2006-07 season.

- The Buckeyes' 29 wins are tied for the second-most in a season, behind 2006-07, when they lost in the NCAA title game.

- Big ups to the seniors, playing their last game at Value City Arena. This may shock you, but you won't be able to see David Lighty in an Ohio State uniform in the VAC anymore. That's insanity.