Ohio State Wins Big Ten Outright

Terence Dials scored 20 points and ninth-ranked Ohio State broke the game open with a 14-2 blitz to start the second half to beat Purdue, 76-57, on Sunday at Columbus, Ohio, clinching the Buckeyes’ first outright Big Ten Conference title in 14 years.

Dogged by a lingering NCAA investigation involving people no longer with the program, and coming the year before a banner recruiting class, Ohio State was never mentioned when the talk turned to preseason favorites in the Big Ten.

“No one gave us a chance,” Dials said. “People across the country forgot about the Buckeyes, it seemed. We didn’t get the credit we thought we deserved. We wanted to go out and prove a lot of naysayers wrong.”

J.J. Sullinger had 16 points for the Buckeyes (23-4, 12-4), who have won their last five games and are seeded first in this week’s Big Ten tournament at Indianapolis. Jamar Butler scored 15 points.

Gary Ware scored 25 points for the Boilermakers (9-18, 3-13), who lost four in a row to finish last in the Big Ten for the first time in 40 years.

The Buckeyes held a tenuous four-point lead to start the second half but quickly sprinted away. Sullinger opened the half by making a 13-foot fall-away before Dials scored over Ware. Sullinger then dunked off a fastbreak assist from Matt Sylvester.

No. 4 Villanova 92, Syracuse 82 -- Allan Ray scored 28 points and Randy Foye had 21 on the road for the Wildcats (24-3, 14-2 Big East), who earned a tie for the conference title with Connecticut and a second seeding in the Big East tournament. The Orange (19-12, 8-9) has won only three times in its last 13 games.

Syracuse’s Gerry McNamara scored a game-high 29 points and had eight assists in his 130th straight start, tops in the nation.

No. 6 Texas 72, No. 19 Oklahoma 48 -- Daniel Gibson scored 22 points at home, and the Longhorns won a share of their first Big 12 title since 1999.

Texas (25-5, 13-3) also secured a No. 1 seeding in the conference tournament. Gibson had six assists and made four of Texas’ nine three-point shots. Taj Gray scored 10 to lead Oklahoma (20-7, 11-5).

No. 17 Florida 79, Kentucky 64 -- Joakim Noah had 15 points and 11 rebounds in Lexington, Ky., to lead the Gators to a fourth straight win over the Wildcats for the first time in the 79-year history of the series.

The Gators (24-6, 10-6) won for the first time at Rupp Arena since 1998 and clinched second place in the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division and a first-round bye in the conference tournament. Kentucky, third place in the East, will have to play on the tournament’s opening day for the first time since 1979.

Kentucky (19-11, 9-7) lost on Senior Day for only the fifth time in 86 years.

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OTHER GAMES

Randal Falker had 16 points and 14 rebounds for Southern Illinois (22-10), which beat Bradley, 59-46, in the Missouri Valley Conference championship game at St. Louis to advance to the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year.... Davidson also clinched a spot in the NCAA tournament’s 65-team field by routing Chattanooga, 80-55, in the Southern Conference final. Brendan Winters helped get Davidson (19-10) in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002, scoring a game-high 33 points in Charleston, S.C.... Justin Burns scored a career-high 22 points and Jermaine Harper had 21 points to lead Cal State Fullerton (15-12) to a 95-82 victory over South Dakota State at Fullerton. Fullerton, the No. 6-seeded team in the Big West Conference tournament, will play No. 7-seeded Cal State Northridge in Wednesday’s opening round.