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No. 1 Ohio State 63, Purdue 52
March 10, 2007
CHICAGO (AP) -Greg Oden put together a highlight package for NBA scouts and helped No. 1 Ohio State move to the finals of the Big Ten tournament and a step closer to a top seed in the NCAA tournament. Oden had 17 points, a tournament-record 19 rebounds and four blocks Saturday and the Buckeyes (29-3) pulled away late from scrappy Purdue for a 63-52 victory. Carl Landry scored 24 points for the Boilermakers, who managed just four baskets in the final 10 minutes - three by Landry - cooling off at the wrong time against the talented Buckeyes. With Oden on the bench after getting his third foul midway through the second half, the Buckeyes got a driving layup from Jamar Butler after a Boilermakers' turnover and then a 3-pointer from Ron Lewis to take a 50-45 lead with 7:40 to go. Oden returned and swatted away two shots to add to Purdue's struggle to score, and when Lewis made two free throws it was 53-45 with 5:29 to go. Landry broke a nearly five-minute Purdue scoring drought with a jumper, but after another Boilermakers turnover, Mike Conley Jr. swished a 3-pointer from the corner and the Buckeyes were up nine. Moments later, Oden went crashing through the lane high over Landry and David Teague to slam in a missed shot, giving the Buckeyes an 11-point lead and all but punctuating the victory - Ohio State's 16th straight. The Buckeyes will meet the winner of the other semifinal between Illinois and No. 3 Wisconsin for the tournament title Sunday at the United Center. Purdue (21-11), losing for the third time this season to the Buckeyes, will have to wait until Sunday's selection announcement to see if they will make the NCAA tournament.
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