The Ohio State Buckeyes were undefeated until they traveled to Madison, Wisconsin to play the Badgers. The Buckeyes built a 15-point lead early in the second half, but then Jordan Taylor caught fire. He was unconscious for the rest of the game and, with some help from his teammates, he led Wisconsin to victory.
Losing is no big deal in college basketball. There hasn’t been a undefeated team in decades, and there is no shame in losing at Wisconsin — where the Badgers lose only once in a blue moon. But what made the loss memorable was that Jared Sullinger mentioned that he was spit upon as Wisconsin fans stormed the court and that, when Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan was asked about the incident a few days later, his message was that Wisconsin had won the game and the Buckeyes just needed to “deal with it.” Ryan’s flippant comment has been seized upon by Buckeyes’ fans as a bit of a battle cry.
Ohio State hopes to “deal with it” tomorrow, when they play the Badgers at Value City Arena in the last regular-season game of the year. It should be a great atmosphere. Red “Deal With It” towels will be handed out to all of the students in the Nut House. And there will be more on the line than just working to get some payback against Wisconsin. It will be Senior Day, with Ohio State stalwarts David Lighty, Jon Diebler, and Dallas Lauderdale playing their final home games. And if the Buckeyes win, they will win the Big Ten regular season title outright.
The Badgers are on a winning streak against Ohio State. In addition to their win over the no. 1 Buckeyes early this basketball season, they also beat the no. 1 Buckeyes in football. Now the basketball Buckeyes are no. 1, again. Let’s hope they turn the tables on the Badgers tomorrow.
Webner House 