By: Curt Cavin and Phillip B. Wilson (IndyStar.com) -- Top-seeded Ohio State got off to a shaky start Friday night in opening its portion of the Big Ten women's basketball tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse, but it settled down enough to advance, which is the key at this point in the season. The 66-55 victory over Illinois pushed the nation's No. 10 team into tonight's semifinals against Wisconsin. Buckeyes coach Jim Foster thought the difference was a frequent switch to a zone defense that ... Read More

By: AP via DaytonDailyNews.com -- COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jim Foster is presented with the problem of inspiring his Ohio State women's team to play hard ina tournament that barely acknowledges what the Buckeyes already have done. "I don't know why they have them, to be quite frank with you," the veteran coach said, referring to conference tournaments. "How you can earn something in three days that someone played two months to earn, is something I don't quite understand. But that's just me." The 10th-ranked Buckeyes ... Read More

From: Cleveland Plain Dealer -- Ohio State's Jantel Lavender was strong and dominant in the post. Samantha Prahalis relied on her all-conference quickness to control the perimeter. Just like the Buckeyes have come to expect from their strong tag-team tandem. One problem against Illinois: Ohio State's other players weren't themselves Friday night. The 10th-ranked Buckeyes had to continually fend off Illinois' comebacks before finally pulling away in the final minute for a 66-55 women's basketball win in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Indianapolis. "In the first half, ... Read More

By: Zack Meisel (TheLantern.com) -- The night started with tears dripping down the face of senior Mark Titus. It ended with a floor full of Buckeye nuts celebrating Ohio State’s first Big Ten Championship since the 2006-07 season. Behind a barrage of 3-pointers by junior Jon Diebler, the No. 6 Buckeyes raced past Illinois to win 73-57 on senior night at the Schottenstein Center. Diebler drained seven shots from behind the arc, including five in the first half. He paced the Buckeyes with 21 points. With the ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After finishing off a remarkable 50-day run, the Ohio State Buckeyes can enjoy a nine-day break knowing that no matter what else happens, they are Big Ten men's basketball champions and the No. 1 seed for the Big Ten Tournament. With a 73-57 victory over Illinois on Tuesday, No. 6 Ohio State ended its regular season at 24-7 and 14-4 in conference play. Purdue and Michigan State, both with two games to play, can tie ... Read More

By: Ryan Cost (CNATI.com) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As Ohio State guard Evan Turner stood atop the scorer's table, he hoisted the Big Ten championship trophy in one hand, and gave the "number one" sign with the other to the large group of fans on the Value City Arena floor chanting "One more year! One more year!" It was a symbolic gesture. Ohio State is the "number one" seed in next week's Big Ten tournament after capping off its conference season with a sound ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Cleveland Central Catholic grad Jantel Lavender added another award to one of the best careers in the history of Big Ten women's basketball when on Monday she was named the Big Ten Player of the Year for the third straight season. While leading Ohio State to a sixth straight conference title, Lavender, a 6-foot-4 center, led the conference in scoring again, averaging 20.9 ppg, and was third in rebounding at 10.4 rpg. The Buckeyes ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Terrelle Pryor wanted to know the score. "I hope Purdue loses," the Ohio State quarterback said Sunday afternoon. Told the Boilermakers were trailing Michigan State, Pryor said, "That's good then." "I'm just happy the girls are in and now we need the guys coming in. I'm sure they'll get it done," Pryor said. Actually, Pryor and the football Buckeyes were in first, winning their fifth straight Big Ten title in the fall. Then the OSU women's ... Read More

From: AP via SI.com -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -Moments after his fourth-ranked Boilermakers' huge win at No. 9 Ohio State on Wednesday night, Purdue coach Matt Painter declined to celebrate. The victory kept his team in the thick of the Big Ten race. But he was well aware there was no time to relish it. "We knew we had to do something special if we were going to fight to get in this race,'' he said. "We've been able to do that. You get a huge ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- Ohio State's Jon Diebler was angry at himself after Sunday's win at Illinois. He'd gone to the bench in the final minutes of the game grimacing slightly and holding his right wrist. While taking a charge against the Illini, he'd attempted to break his fall with his right hand, his shooting hand, what he called a stupid mistake. And now it hurt. "I'll be all right," Diebler said Sunday. "I've got tough bones. I drink a lot ... Read More

By: Kurt Mews (BleacherReport.com) -- When one thinks about Ohio State and National Titles, they usually assume football! BUT, this year's Ohio State men's basketball squad CAN win it all, and that's not being unrealistic or a product of just wishful thinking.  Here' why; 1. EVAN TURNER: Arguably the best if not one of the top 5 players in the nation, he leads the surging Buckeyes. He can dribble, pass, drive, shoot and has the athletics to dominate the floor. In tight games he can be a ... Read More

From: AP via FoxNews.com -- COLUMBUS, Ohio — Evan Turner stayed up late on Saturday night, watching Michigan State lose to turn the Big Ten race into a free-for all. Then he got up early on Sunday morning to make sure No. 13 Ohio State stayed in the mix. Turner matched his career high with 32 points, leading the Buckeyes past Iowa 68-59 on Sunday and stretching the their Big Ten winning streak to seven straight. "We got here at 7:45 in the morning," Turner said ... Read More

From: Vindy.com -- Three conference teams are ranked, including Ohio State. Mcclatchey-tribune Big Ten basketball is back — conference games start Tuesday night with Purdue at Iowa and Penn State at Minnesota — and that leads to the annual holiday season question: How good is the Big Ten? “I think our league has done a good job, but not a great one,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “There are some games a couple teams would like to have back. There were a couple of games we surprised ... Read More