4 years of Buckeye Basketball. Recruited by Chris Holtmann, stayed through a coaching change. Bruce Thornton has established himself as one of the greats of Ohio State Basketball and perhaps the best player in the program since Greg Oden. Thornton has defined the Ohio State Basketball program for what has been the majority of the 2020’s, staying true to the program despite the current state of College Basketball, where staying all 4 years at one school is a rare sight.
The Records
In his 4 years as a Buckeye, Bruce Thornton has accumulated a total of 2,047 Points, 2 All-Big Ten Selections, and an All-Big Ten tournament distinction, and is primed to earn another All-Big Ten Selection and many more points. Despite Thornton’s prolific scoring and gritty defensive work as a Buckeye, he has no NCAA Tournament appearances to show for it. Along with being a soon-to-be 3x All-Big Ten player, Bruce is soon going to be the all-time Ohio State Basketball leading scorer, surpassing Buckeye Greats such as Dennis Hopson, Herb Williams, Jerry Lucas, and more.
Lack of Results
In Thornton’s 4 years with the program, the team has amassed a total record of 72-59 and been a consistent middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team. Despite the winning record, they have not been able to get past the barrier that is the NCAA Tournament, and this mostly stems from the team’s inability to win big games. Look at this season, their best chance with Thornton on the roster, and they still have yet to beat a Quad 1 team. Last season, they had some quality out-of-conference wins but finished the season 2-6 to eventually miss out on the tournament.
Why Do the Buckeyes Fall Short?
Despite Bruce Thornton’s dominance in big games, the Buckeyes repeatedly can’t seem to pull through. This stems from the lack of offense late in games when Thornton is tired, the Buckeyes have a super stagnant offense, and the loss of John Mobley Jr. does not help in the slightest.
Future of Thornton and the Buckeyes
This season, Bruce Thornton has separated himself as one of the best upperclassmen in the country and proved to be a super dynamic guard that can defend, hit shots, and handle the ball. He only stands at 6’2″ but is a bigger guard and plays bigger than he is. Thornton has definitely played himself into some NBA opportunities this season, and I would look for him to be a contender to pick up some buzz at the end of the draft class. For the Buckeyes, their backs are totally against the wall right now, and, facing one of the toughest portions of their schedule. They need to pull out some tough wins to give them a chance at the tournament.
