Columbus, Ohio ? Mike Conley Jr. stepped out of Greg Oden’s lengthy shadow at just the right time.

Conley drove the lane and made a runner with four seconds left to give No. 2 Ohio State a 49-48 victory over top-ranked Wisconsin on Sunday, clinching the Buckeyes’ second consecutive Big Ten title.

The game marked the first time Big Ten teams have met in a 1 vs. 2 game.

“I had a feeling I was going to get the ball,” said Conley, son of the 1992 Olympic triple-jump gold medalist. “I just went to the hole and it worked out for us.”

With the victory, the Buckeyes are likely to climb to the top spot in The Associated Press rankings for the first time since Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek and a sub named Bob Knight were ranked No. 1 throughout the 1962 season.

“I hope it motivates us,” coach Thad Matta said. “I hope it continues to pour gas on our fire.”

After a timeout, the Buckeyes (26-3, 14-1) passed around the perimeter before Conley, a freshman who has spent his career in the shadow of 7-foot high school and college teammate Oden, scissored through the lane and tossed up a soft shot that balanced on the rim before falling.

“If you’ve got a point guard like Conley, he’s going to try to penetrate,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. “We were trying to make him take a tough shot.”

Ohio State captured back-to-back outright titles for the first time since running off three in a row between 1960-62.

Maryland 89, No. 5 North Carolina 87

Ohio State's Ron Lewis, right center, blocks Wisconsin's Kammron Taylor's (23) shot as times runs out. The block sealed No. 2 Buckeyes' 49-48 victory against No. 1 Wisconsin on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.

College Park, Md. – D.J. Strawberry scored a career-high 27 points, and Maryland rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half to beat North Carolina and extend its winning streak to five games.

North Carolina had a chance to force overtime with 3.5 seconds left, but Brandan Wright missed the first of two free throws and the Tar Heels failed to control the rebound of his second misfire.

No. 7 Memphis 77, Houston 64

Memphis, Tenn. – Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 19 points, and the Tigers extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 17.

No. 17 Vanderbilt 67, Kentucky 65

Nashville, Tenn. – Derrick Byars grabbed a rebound off his own missed foul shot and scored to give the Commodores their first lead with 25.5 seconds left, and Vanderbilt held on for the win.

No. 18 Duke 67, St. John’s 50

New York – Greg Paulus scored 19 points, DeMarcus Nelson added 14 points and seven rebounds and the Blue Devils won their fourth straight.

No. 20 Louisville 76, Connecticut 69

Hartford, Conn. – Terrence Williams scored 17 points, freshman Derrick Caracter came off the bench to score 16 and the Cardinals won their fifth straight game.

The Cardinals looked to be in trouble early when David Padgett, who had 19 points in Louisville’s 68-54 win over Connecticut on Jan. 22, picked up two fouls in the first 4:23.