Bruce Thornton is a college basketball throwback who finally dragged Ohio State to March Madness

CHICAGO — Bruce Thornton had every opportunity to leave. He was one of the best players in men’s college basketball at the sport’s most important position, but everyone else around him wasn’t holding up their end of the bargain. Thornton was too good to end his college career without ever playing in the NCAA tournament. It would have been understandable if he thought he had to say goodbye to Ohio State to finally get there.

Only 22 players in men’s college basketball stayed four years at one school among power conference teams. The list includes UConn’s Alex Karaban with his two national championship rings, Purdue’s Braden Smith with a national championship appearance, and Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey, who is in March Madness every year. Thornton is on the list too after refusing to give up on the Buckeyes, and now his college career is finally getting the send-off it deserves.

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Ohio State beat Iowa, 72-69, to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 men’s Big Ten tournament on Thursday. Rival Michigan is waiting on Friday, but Ohio State should already feel safe about their place in the March Madness bracket after Thornton led the team to a fantastic closing stretch of the season that now includes four straight wins.

Thornton was electric against Iowa in his matchup with another star point guard, Bennett Stirtz, who is considered a much better prospect at the NBA level. It didn’t look like it on Thursday: Thornton played his bully-ball ground game to get to his spots as a scorer and keep Ohio State a step ahead the whole afternoon. He finished with 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field while adding six rebounds, three assists, and only one turnover.

This was Thornton at his best, showing everything that has made him one of college basketball’s most reliable guards for the last four years.

“His on-court impact has been really special,” Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler said after the win. “You see the efficiency that he plays…

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Publish date : 2026-03-13 12:00:00

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