Columbus, Ohio – Mike Conley Jr. stepped out of Greg Oden’s lengthy shadow at just the right time.
Conley drove the lane and made a runner with four seconds left to give No. 2 Ohio State a 49-48 victory over top-ranked Wisconsin on Sunday, clinching the Buckeyes’ second consecutive Big Ten title.
“I had a feeling I was going to get the ball,” said Conley, son of the 1992 Olympic triple jump gold medalist. “I just went to the hole and it worked out for us.”
With their victory, the Buckeyes are likely to climb to the top spot in The Associated Press rankings for the first time since Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek and a sub named Bob Knight were ranked No. 1 throughout the 1962 season.
“I hope it motivates us,” coach Thad Matta said. “I hope it continues to pour gas on our fire.”
Alando Tucker had given the Badgers the lead with just under a minute left when he scored inside off Jason Chappell’s dump pass.
Chappell then blocked a shot by Ron Lewis before Wisconsin’s Kammron Taylor was sent to the line in the bonus situation with 20.3 seconds left. Taylor’s first attempt spun off the rim.
After a timeout, the Buckeyes (26-3) passed around the perimeter before Conley, a freshman who has spent his career in the shadow of 7-foot high school and college teammate Oden, scissored through the lane and tossed up a soft shot that balanced on the rim before falling.
The Badgers (26-4) inbounded to Taylor, who drove the length of the floor and tried an off-balance 15-footer at the buzzer. Oden got a piece of it before Lewis swatted it away.
MARYLAND 89, NO. 5 NORTH CAROLINA 87 at College Park, Md: D.J. Strawberry scored a career-high 27 points, Mike Jones had 18, and the Terrapins (22-7) rallied from a 12-point deficit with just over seven minutes left to extend their winning streak to five.
“We could have given up. We’re not going to give up,” Strawberry said. “We’re going to keep fighting. I wanted to win so bad.”
North Carolina (24-5) had a chance to force overtime with 3.5 seconds left, but Brandan Wright missed the first of two free throws and the Tar Heels failed to control the rebound of his second misfire.
NO. 7 MEMPHIS 77, HOUSTON 64 at Memphis, Tenn.: The Tigers (25-3) overcame a first-half deficit then wore down the Cougars (15-13) and coasted to their 17th consecutive victory – the longest streak in the nation.
NO. 17 VANDERBILT 67, KENTUCKY 65 at Nashville, Tenn.: Derrick Byars hit the first of two free throws, got the rebound and hit an 8-foot jumper with 29 seconds left to give the Commodores (19-9) their first lead.
“It was the biggest play of the game,” Byars said. “I missed a free throw, and (teammate) Dan Cage tapped it out to me. I saw (Kentucky’s) Randolph (Morris) down there, and he beat me earlier, so I just wanted to get it up quick.”
That sequence capped a 21- point second-half performance for Byars, who hit 2-of-8 shots in the first half.
NO. 18 DUKE 67, ST. JOHN’S 50 at New York: Greg Paulus scored 19 points and DeMarcus Nelson added 14 points and seven rebounds to help the Blue Devils (22-7) win their fourth straight game.
NO. 20 LOUISVILLE 76, CONNECTICUT 69 at Hartford, Conn.: Earl Clark’s 3-pointer gave the Cardinals (21-8) the lead for good, 63-60 with 2:53 to go.
