Especially come tournament time, it’s a fool’s errand to call any win an ugly win in college basketball.
The second half between Ohio State and Virginia Tech was a bit of an eyesore, though.
A total of 32 fouls were called against the Buckeyes and Hokies during the final 20 minutes. Thirteen whistles came against Ohio State and 19 against Virginia Tech, who earned that discrepancy by fouling to extend the contest in its waning moments.
“We lean on our maturity and our collective toughness during those stretches,” Jake Diebler said afterward. “This group has really grown together, they’ve shown a great deal of toughness now, certainly throughout games, but specifically end of games.