Ohio State Basketball’s Bruce Thornton Claims Award and Praise From Legendary Coach

Ohio State Buckeyes senior Bruce Thornton put together one of the most impressive stretches of his career last week.

Thornton averaged 29.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while shooting better than 52% from the field in the games against No. 24 Wisconsin Badgers and No. 15 Michigan State Spartans.

His versatility was on full display as he carried a heavy workload in those battles and consistently delivered in critical moments.

His efforts earned the evergreen Thornton Big Ten Player of the Week honors after leading Ohio State with his leadership, dominance and efficiency against two highly ranked opponents.

Thornton’s week in detail – and praise from Tom Izzo

In the win over Wisconsin, Thornton flirted with a triple-double, going for 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while controlling the pace throughout.

His performance placed him in rare company in program history. The only other Buckeye in the past 45 years to record at least 27 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in a single game was Dennis Hopson during the 1980s.

Thornton followed that outing with an even more remarkable effort on the road at Michigan State. Playing without the team’s second and third-leading scorers, he nearly carried Ohio State to victory single-handedly, but narrowly lost out 66-60.

The senior poured in a game-high 32 points and played all 40 minutes without committing a single turnover — an unheard of feat for a primary ball-handler.

He also contributed five rebounds, two assists and two steals, showcasing his leadership and poise against one of the conference’s toughest opponents, with his masterclass drawing praise from Michigan head coach Tom Izzo.

“I talked to [Bruce] Thornton before the game,” Izzo said, per Jim Comparoni of On3.

“I told him it’s been an honor and a privilege to coach against him for four years. I said you stayed put. You didn’t run and leave like everybody does nowadays. You’ve been an incredible player. You’ve been an incredible person.”

Beyond his weekly heroics, Thornton also climbed higher in the Ohio State record books. He surpassed Buckeye legends Jerry Lucas, William Burford and Herb Williams to move into second place on the program’s all-time scoring list with 2,037 career points.

In doing so, he became the 36th player in Big Ten history to reach 2,000 career points, and just the sixth to combine at least 2,000 points with 500 career assists — a testament to both his scoring ability and playmaking impact.

The honor marks Thornton’s second Big Ten Player of the Week award this season and the third of his career, further cementing his legacy as one of the conference’s main performers.