With a share of the Big Ten title at stake, the sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes knocked off Illinois 73-57 on Senior Night in Columbus. Illinois (18-12, 10-7) was led by Demetri McCamey’s 18 points and 7 assists. Brandon Paul chipped in 11 points off the bench and Mike Tisdale added 10.

Their first conference crown since 2007, the Buckeyes (24-7, 14-4) were led by junior Jon Diebler’s 21 points on seven three pointers. Evan Turner (17 points), David Lighty (16 points), and William Buford (15 points) rounded out what was a balanced scoring attack for Ohio State.

Illinois (18-12, 10-7) was led by Demetri McCamey’s 18 points and 7 assists. Brandon Paul chipped in 11 points off the bench and Mike Tisdale added 10.

With the score 48-45 in favor of the Buckeyes, Ohio State used a 25-12 run over the final 13:43 to pull away from Illinois.

“It’s really tough. They’ve got so many weapons it’s hard to focus in on all of them,” explained freshman Brandon Paul.

What once was thought of as an almost sure thing, the NCAA tournament now looks a little bleak for the Illini, who have dropped four of their last five contests.

Illinois will close out their regular season Sunday at home against Wisconsin, a game the Orange and Blue are calling a must win.

“If we want a chance to go anywhere in the future we have to beat Wisconsin on Sunday. There’s no question about it,” said junior Mike Tisdale.