Dials Earns 3rd Career Big Ten Weekly Honor
Ohio State claims fourth men's basketball player of the week this season
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State senior center
Terence Dials (Youngstown, Ohio/Boardman) earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors Monday after posting double-doubles last week in a road win vs. No. 16 Michigan State and in a home win against Michigan last Saturday.
The honor was the first of the season for Dials and the third of his career.
Ohio State has claimed the league's player of the week four times this season with senior
Je'Kel Foster (Natchez, Miss./Natchez) earning two and sophomore
Jamar Butler (Lima, Ohio/Shawnee) the other.
The last time Ohio State had three players earn POW honors in the same season was during the 1999-00 campaign when
Ken Johnson (1/31/00), Michael Redd (2/21/00) and
George Reese (3/6/00) managed the feat.
Dials scored 19 points with 10 rebounds, while adding two steals and one block against the Spartans in East Lansing (2/22) and then recorded his fifth-consecutive double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds in a 64-54 victory over Michigan last Saturday to give Ohio State sole possession of first place in the league standings.
He finished the week averaging 20.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, while connecting on 64 percent of his shots from the field (18-of-28). With his efforts last week, Dials moved into sixth place on OSU's career rebounds list with 823 boards and ranks 16th in career scoring (1,454). Dials also became the first Buckeye to record five or more consecutive double-doubles since Brad Sellers posted a streak of nine-consecutive double-dips during the 1985-86 season.
Ohio State travels to Northwestern for a Wednesday matchup with the Wildcats. Game time is 8 p.m. The contest will be televised locally by ESPN Plus on WBNS 10 TV. The Buckeyes (21-4 overall, 10-4 in the Big Ten) can assure themselves a tie for the regular season league title with a win in Evanston.
Ohio State plays its final home game of the season at noon March 5 against Purdue. That game will feature senior day festivities for Dials,
Matt Sylvester,
J.J. Sullinger and Foster. The contest will be televised by ESPN Regional and broadcast locally on WBNS 10 TV.