DaytonDailyNews.com

NEW YORK — Ohio State's Jamar Butler didn't expect his college basketball career to end in Madison Square Garden, in the title game of a tournament that masquerades as the consolation prize for all those teams that had good but not great seasons.

A year ago, he was on the NCAA's biggest stage, playing for a national championship under the brightest of lights. Tonight, April 3, he'll lead the Buckeyes (23-13) into the final of the NIT against Massachusetts (25-10).

"This is still a tournament and a way to keep playing," said the 6-foot-1 guard, who's played a school-record 138 games in a career that often seems longer than four seasons. "We have young guys stepping up, and we're playing the best we have all year."

Butler arrived at Ohio State with coach Thad Matta, together inheriting a program that was successful under Jim O'Brien but had landed on probation. The Buckeyes won 20 games Butler's freshman season but sat at home come March, unable to participate in any postseason tournament. A year later, OSU won 26 and reached the NCAA tournament's second round.

Then came last year, and the arrival of heralded freshmen Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook. Along with Butler, they led the Buckeyes to the Final Four in Atlanta, where they lost to Florida.

The one constant always has been Butler, the steady hand guiding a team that again relies heavily on freshmen. He raised his scoring average to a career-best 14.9 this season, and set Ohio State career records for assists (572) and 3-pointers (239).

Today's game

Who: Massachusetts (25-10) vs. OSU (23-13)

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York

TV: ESPN

Radio: WING-AM (1410)

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