The Buckeyes have prospered with a lineup that includes three fifth-year players and another senior who always seemed to make plays when most needed.
"It was a good day to be a Buckeye," Sullinger said. "It was an even better day to be a senior."
The Buckeyes were eighth, ninth and sixth the last three years in the conference.
The outright title is the school's first since Jim Jackson was the star in 1992 -- and only the second since 1971. It also marked the first time a Big Ten school has captured outright titles in men's and women's basketball in the same season.
Gary Ware scored 25 points for Purdue (9-18, 3-13), which lost four in a row to finish last in the Big Ten for the first time in 40 years.
RUTGERS 82, ST. JOHN'S 70
Gary Waters is not going anywhere, at least for a few days.
Waters, who announced his resignation as Rutgers' coach Wednesday after agreeing to a buyout package, received a going-away present from his team on Sunday.
Rutgers earned a spot in the Big East tournament and extended its season with an 82-70 victory against St. John's (12-15, 5-11) at Carnesecca Arena in Queens in what amounted to a play-in game for the conference tournament. The winner would earn the 10th seeding in the tournament; the loser would not be invited. Twelve of the Big East's 16 teams take part.
"It was monumental," Waters said of the victory. "You can call it that. It was something our kids wanted. A lot of people are going to say they were playing for me. No. They were playing to better themselves, and I want to see them have success. Once this thing is over with, they're not going to see me much anymore."
Rutgers, which finished the regular season at 17-12 and 7-9 in the Big East, will play seventh-seeded Seton Hall (18-10, 9-7) tomorrow in opening-round play.
Southern Illinois 59, bradly 46
For a college basketball league determined to shed its midmajor label, the Missouri Valley Conference still celebrates like Cinderella.
After second-seeded Southern Illinois finished a grinding, 59-46 victory against fifth-seeded Bradley on Sunday in the conference's tournament final, about 300 students stormed the Savvis Center court. As red, white and blue streamers fell, the Salukis' players gathered in a mosh pit at center court, mugging for a national television audience to the chants of "SIU, SIU, SIU."
The triumphant scene resembled something that would follow an upset victory, not necessarily a championship performance worthy of a bid to the NCAA tournament.
"We didn't want to leave it up to anybody else to let us know if we're in the tournament or not," said guard Jamaal Tatum, who scored 16 points for the Salukis. "We won this game, and now it's not up to anybody else. We're in the big dance, baby. We're there."
The tournament title is the fifth for Southern Illinois (22-10), which is headed to the NCAA tournament for the fifth year in a row.
It also gives Chris Lowery his first tournament championship as the team's coach, making him the first person in conference history to win the event as a player and a coach. He was a point guard on the Southern Illinois teams that won the conference tournament in 1994 and 1995.
The sophomore forward Randal Falker, who was named the tournament's most valuable player, scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds for the Salukis. He entered the game averaging 8.8 points and 7.7 rebounds.
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