BIG TEN BASKETBALL OSU men alone atop standings

Boardman native Terence Dials has been on of the reasons the success.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Moments after No. 13 Ohio State beat Michigan 64-54 Saturday, Buckeyes coach Thad Matta was asked if he would watch Iowa's showdown with Illinois later in the evening.
"Do they play today?" Matta asked, trying hard but failing to keep a straight face.
Matta and his players paid close attention as the Illini beat Iowa 71-59 to deprive the Hawkeyes a share of the Big Ten lead.
The Hawkeyes' loss was Ohio State's gain, leaving it all alone atop the Big Ten standings. The Buckeyes (21-4, 10-4) close their schedule with games against the bottom two teams in the conference, playing at Northwestern (13-13, 5-9) Wednesday before closing out the regular season at home against Purdue (9-16, 3-11) next Sunday.
One game edge
They hold a one-game edge over Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin heading into the final week. Iowa plays home games against Penn State Wednesday and Wisconsin Saturday. Illinois hits the road twice against Minnesota Tuesday and Michigan State Saturday. The Badgers play at Michigan State Tuesday and at Iowa Saturday.
Terence Dials had his fifth consecutive double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Buckeyes over Michigan on Saturday, then tuned into the Iowa-Illinois game.
"We took care of our end. We really can't worry about them [the Hawkeyes]," he said, an ice pack taped to his aching left knee.
Dials out of midseason slump
Against a taller and deeper Michigan front line, Dials made sure that the Buckeyes took care of their own business. He has broken out of a midseason slump to average 19.6 points and 12.6 rebounds over the last five games.
"I'm shooting a lot more and staying aggressive," he said.
Dials continually came up with deep rebounds and loose balls in the lane. When Michigan center Courtney Sims -- who had 26 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in Ohio State's 94-85 win in Ann Arbor -- got the ball inside, Dials always seemed to be there to offer resistance.
"He's finishing better than he was earlier in the season," Matta said. "His defense was 100 times better than the last time we played Michigan."
Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said it was apparent that Dials, a senior, is playing his best as his collegiate career sifts away.
"He certainly played at a high level," Amaker said.
While a capacity crowd at Value City Arena was celebrating, the Buckeyes were already contemplating what lies ahead.
"The focus right now is on Northwestern," Dials said. "They're a tough team to beat at home. We can't just think that the Big Ten championship is ours. We have to go get a tough road win -- that's our mind-set right now."