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Big Ten Basketball Championship 2011: Buckeyes Cruise To Title

The Ohio State Buckeyes, as expected, are the champions of the 2011 Big Ten Tournament, defeating a game Penn State Nittany Lion team in the finals at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, 71-60.

The Buckeyes carried a 29-23 lead into halftime of this one, and managed to expand their lead to as much as 17 in the second half, as they were just too deep and too strong for the Nittany Lions on this afternoon.

The Buckeyes got a balanced attack, as William Buford led the team with 18 points, while Jon Diebler and Jared Sullinger kicked in 15 points a piece in the winning effort. For Penn State, Talor Battle led all scorers with 24 points on the afternoon, and Jeff Brooks had 19, but no other Penn State player had more than six.

The win gives the Buckeyes some solid momentum going into the 2011 NCAA Basketball Tournament, where they are expected to be the number one overall seed. Penn State's performance in the tournament has given them a spot in the Big Dance, too, by all accounts.

Photographs by Micah Taylor, clairity, and Fibonacci Blue used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.