New York — In a locker room outburst equal parts joy and angst, Jamar Butler finally dropped the charade Ohio State had been playing for nearly three weeks and revealed its main motivating factor for a roughshod run through the NIT.

"This is what happens when you put an NCAA Tournament team in the NIT," Butler yelled, surrounded by his teammates after beating Massachusetts 92-85 in the title game Thursday night. "Write that down and send that to the committee."

A year removed from a loss in the national championship game, the Buckeyes have a trophy to carry home - even if it's not the one they had wanted.