Bruce Thornton drops 34 as Ohio State nearly upsets No. 13 Illinois in 88

The final score doesn’t tell the story of the game — Ohio State battled to the end against No. 13 Illinois, making it a one-possession game with just over one minute to go before falling 88-80.

Ohio State was carried by senior guard Bruce Thornton, who finished with 34 points and was nearly perfect in the first half. He went 9-9 with six threes before missing his first shot with under four minutes to go. He ended the half with 24 of Ohio State’s 40 points.

He didn’t have much supporting cast due to slow starts from Royal and Mobley Jr. Over halfway through the first half, Thornton and Christoph Tilly — who finished with 13 — had combined for all of Ohio State’s points, and well into the second half Thornton was still the only Buckeye in double digits scoring.

“I’m gonna keep playing how I play,” Thornton said when asked about how to respond when his teammates are going through cold stretches. “There’s gonna be a game when I pass it to them, they’re gonna make a shot for a big game, so it’s just me having the belief and faith throughout my teammates. I tell Dev, Junie, if they miss a couple I don’t care, if you’re wide open I’m gonna shoot it to you again.”

Royal and Mobley Jr. both warmed up more in the second half. Head coach Jake Diebler said he challenged them on the defensive side, which helped spark their offense. Their contributions were needed, because Illinois’ defensive adjustments on Thornton held him to 10 points in the second. Royal finished with 15, including two clutch baskets — a buzzer beater to end the first half and a basket in the lane to make it 79-76 with 1:09 left in the game.

Ohio State Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (0) dribbles past Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) during the first half of the NCAA men's basketball game in Columbus on Dec. 9, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The game became a fouling war, with 53 free throws taken between the two teams. The difference was Illinois made 29 from the line, nearly a third of their total points. The Buckeyes were 15-21, with four of the misses coming from Mobley Jr.

Mobley Jr. finished with 11 points, going 4-11 from the field and 1-6 from behind the arc. Diebler warned that against this level of opponents you can’t wait until a half to make those adjustments, but has faith he'll be able to make those changes earlier moving forward.

“I think my challenge to him has always been, be a complete player,” Diebler said about Mobley Jr. “The biggest thing we talk about is don’t try to get it going with really hard shots. If he were only a shooter, might be a different conversation, but I believe in his playmaking at a high level. I thought he did a better job with that in the second half.”

Ultimately, Ohio State proved that even on a day when their offensive depth is lacking, and they make crucial errors like missed free throws, they can still make it a one-possession game with one of the top teams in the country.

Ohio State will travel to Rocket Arena in Cleveland to face West Virginia on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 8:00 p.m.