Monday, March 7, 2011

Spurned by stars, Bulls sweep Heat

Columbus, Ohio — No matter which team wins the upcoming Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament, any lingering doubt regarding the identity of the league's best overall team was removed Sunday afternoon.

There were 18,809 witnesses in the Value City Arena seats and a proud contingent of players and coaches from Wisconsin who can attest that team is No. 1-ranked Ohio State, particularly after the Buckeyes' latest remarkable performance.

"A dismantling," UW junior guard Jordan Taylor said afterward. "Hats off to them . . . They were far and away the better team today."

The Buckeyes were nearly 30 points better than the 10th-ranked Badgers. Led by white-hot senior forward Jon Diebler, the Buckeyes hit shots from every spot on the floor and routed UW, 93-65, in the regular-season finale for both teams.

The loss was the second-worst in regular-season play and third-worst overall for UW under coach Bo Ryan. The worst loss was a 32-point decision (80-48) on Jan. 23, 2002, at Illinois.

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