How Ohio State Kept NCAA Tournament Hopes Alive By Upsetting Purdue

Ohio State defeated No. 8 Purdue 82–74 behind balanced scoring, dominant rebounding, and a decisive free-throw advantage in a critical late-season win.

Mar 1, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (0) celebrates during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Ohio State took down No. 8 Purdue 82–74, keeping their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Here’s how the Buckeyes secured one of their most important wins of the season.

Offensive balance

Once the Buckeyes took the lead with 7:39 to go in the first half, they never trailed the Boilermakers again. In a balanced offensive attack led by John Mobley Jr. with 21 points and Bruce Thornton with 20, four players finished in double-digit scoring.

Ohio State’s season has featured dramatic scoring droughts and runs, but the Buckeyes controlled the pace throughout this one.

“When our offense becomes too isolated and we stand, we get bogged down a little bit,” Diebler said. “I thought today we did a great job of creating either some long closeouts or wide open shots in those stretches.”

Free throw discrepancy 

The Buckeyes were able to draw fouls and get to the line 32 times, making 25 of them. 

Purdue attempted just 10 free throws, making seven, and didn’t take their first until less than a minute remained in the first half.

Ohio State got the job done! 82-74 win against No. 8 Purdue @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/vR1Pla9B6C

— Hanna Williford (@hanna_williford) March 1, 2026

Owning the glass

Controlling the glass has been a consistent point of emphasis for the Buckeyes, as several losses stemmed from allowing second-chance opportunities.

Today, Ohio State outrebounded Purdue 36-29, and they had 10 offensive rebounds with 19 second-chance points.

“Our rebounding today was the best it’s been in a long time, and that takes tremendous fight and toughness,” Diebler said.

Diebler went on to credit the way Ivan Njegovan and Devin Royal battled with tip-outs and offensive rebounds. Royal finished with a team-high nine rebounds and Njegovan added six.

The fight

Ultimately, this game was about a response after falling flat at Iowa.

“We had to have the bigger fight, and I thought our guys showed that,” Diebler said. 

Purdue’s head coach Matt Painter credited Ohio State as being the harder-working team. He also commended Bruce Thornton, who he has coached against for the past four seasons, for the way he elevates everyone around him.

“He’s what college basketball is all about,” Painter said. “Guys like that are gold.”

Thornton is just 30 points away from becoming Ohio State’s all-time leading scorer, and he’ll have two more regular-season games to accomplish that milestone before the Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes’ next test comes at Penn State on Wednesday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m., before returning home to face Indiana on Saturday, March 7 at 5:30 p.m.