words_Brandon Richard

They say it isn’t easy being number 1, but the Ohio State Buckeyes surely made it look that way last week. Tuning up for the NCAA Championship Tournament, Ohio State blitzed their way through conference rivals Penn State and Wisconsin en route to the Big Ten regular season championship. While forward Jared Sullinger is no doubt Ohio State’s best player, it was the big-time shooting of senior Jon Diebler that led the team to back-to-back 20-plus-point blowouts.

Diebler had an incredible week shooting from the field, draining 18 of his 22 shots, including 17 of 20 from three-point range. He averaged 28.5, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the two Buckeye victories. His 10 three-pointers against Penn State on Tuesday tied a conference record. The hot long-distance shooting continued against Wisconsin on Sunday. Diebler knocked down six of seven and jokingly apologized to his teammates for missing one after the game.

Winding down his college career, Diebler will go down as one of the best shooters in Big Ten history. He’s even earned the locker room nickname of “3bler.” Will his hot shooting continue as the Buckeyes seek their first National Championship since 1960?

Diebler walks off the court to an ovation in the Nike Air Max Fly By.

image via ESPN