Finally, they lived up to all the hype bestowed upon them.
Tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten, the Boilermakers had dropped three of their final four regular season games entering the tournament, and as a result, were the number three seed behind Michigan State and Illinois.
Perhaps that falling from grace was all they needed, as they utilized a timely three point shooting attack and out rebounded an aggressive Ohio State team, to capture their first ever Big Ten Tourney Title by a score of 65-61, before a spirited crowd of supporters who made the trek to Indianapolis to provide their beloved Boilers with what in reality was a home court advantage.
Purdue trailed by five at halftime, but began the second half by establishing the tone on the backboards and not allowing Ohio State second chance opportunities, which in turn, fueled their fast break and allowed them to quickly take the lead in the second half. While the Buckeyes played valiantly, they would come up short in the end in terms of defending Purdue’s three headed monster, which consisted of Robbie Hummel, JuJaun Johnson, and E’Twaun Moore.
Moore led Purdue with 17 points, with fifteen of those coming from behind the three point arc, where he was five for 10.
Johnson, a product of Franklin Central High School in Indianapolis, added 16 points and Hummel added 9 points while grabbing a game high 11 rebounds. Purdue committed just seven turnovers and demonstrated excellent ball movement which contributed to 15 assists on 22 field goals.
Ohio State was paced by Evan Turner who scored 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds. William Buford and Jon Diebler each had 15 points for the Buckeyes, who were bullied on the boards by Purdue by a count of 44 to 33, and limited to just five offensive rebounds for the game.
Purdue moves on to the NCAA Tournament in the West Region as a number five seed where they will battle number twelve seeded Northern Iowa in Portland, Oregon.
Ohio State secured a number eight seed and will kick off their tournament play in Dayton, Ohio against ninth seeded Sienna.
Notes: Purdue’s Robbie Hummel was selected as the Big Ten Tourney’s MVP. Purdue set a new tournament record by hitting 27 three point field goals in three games. Ohio State’s Evan Turner averaged 19.6 points per game in the tourney and also had the most total points in the tourney with 59.
The championship game was viewed by 12,526 fans and was broadcasted live nationally by CBS Sports.
Special thanks to Scott Chipman and his entire staff for the great support they provided to the media covering the tourney. They rolled out the red carpet and I appreciate it greatly.
Danny Bridges can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or Bridgeshd@aol.com
