Ohio State defeats Massachusetts in NIT final

NEW YORK — A year removed from a loss in the national title game, Ohio State has a championship trophy to carry home.

Nevermind that it's from the NIT. Jamar Butler and his buddies couldn't care less.

Butler had 19 points and eight assists in his final college game, leading the Buckeyes to a 92-85 win over Massachusetts on Thursday night and prompting the victory celebration inside Madison Square Garden that they couldn't have last year in Atlanta.

The Buckeyes (24-13) lost to Florida in the Final Four, but never dwelled on a snub by the NCAA selection committee that kept them from playing for another trip there. They dominated each of their four opponents on the way to New York.

Ricky Harris scored 27 for UMass (25-11), hitting three 3-pointers in the closing minutes to help the Minutemen stay close.

— AP