Oden went crashing through the lane, rising high over Carl Landry and David Teague to slam in a missed shot, giving the Buckeyes a late 11-point lead today in their 63-52 victory over Purdue.

The victory moved the Buckeyes (29-3) a step closer to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. They will take a 16-game winning streak into tomorrow's conference tournament finals.

Oden's dunk also capped a performance that no doubt will have NBA scouts drooling -- 17 points, a tournament-record 19 rebounds and four blocks.

But the dunk is the play that stood out, especially for the normally stoic Oden.

''I didn't get blocked out,'' Oden said. ''So I went running back. I don't know what I did, I was just yelling. I enjoyed it,'' Oden said.

Teammate and fellow freshman Mike Conley Jr., who played high school ball with Oden, has seen plenty of head-turning outings from his friend.

''But that was an amazing play. It was a great moment to be a part of. Watching him go crazy and wave his arms in the air,'' Conley Jr. said.

Oden, who hasn't decided if he's going to go pro or return to Columbus for a second season, was 8-for-13 from the field and nine of his rebounds were on the offensive end.

His 19 rebounds broke the previous single-game tournament record of 18 set by Iowa's Reggie Evans, who hit that mark twice, in 2001 and 2002.

Ohio State finished with a 49-33 rebounding edge, 21-9 on the offensive end.

''If we can get into the lane or draw defenses to collapse on us, we know there is somebody not blocking out Greg,'' Conley Jr. said.

''It's bad to say, but even if you miss a shot, it might be a good play.''

Landry scored 24 points for the Boilermakers, who managed just four baskets in the final 10 minutes -- three by Landry -- cooling off at the wrong time against the talented Buckeyes.