Video: Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton after Iowa loss in Big Ten Tournament
Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton talks with reporters after a loss to Iowa in Big Ten Tournament on March 12, 2025.
- Thornton led the Buckeyes in scoring the past two seasons and is 21st on the school’s all-time scoring list.
- Thornton has started 102 of a possible 103 games in three seasons with the Buckeyes.
- Ohio State captain and leader Bruce Thornton is returning for his senior season with the Buckeyes.
Bruce Thornton is running it back one more time.
After three seasons at Ohio State, the 6-2, 215-pound guard is planning to go through the NBA draft process and then return for a fourth and final year with the Buckeyes pending his feedback, coach Jake Diebler said. The 2025 NBA G League combine takes place May 9-11 and underclassmen have until June 15 at 5 p.m. to withdraw from the draft and retain their eligibility.
A three-year captain and cornerstone piece for the Buckeyes, Thornton led Ohio State in scoring for a second consecutive season while averaging a career-best 17.7 points. He shot 50.1% from the floor, 42.4% from 3 and 85.3% from the free-throw line while earning second-team all-Big Ten honors. He is 21st all-time in scoring at Ohio State with 1,487 points, just 10 behind Troy Taylor for No. 20.
Dennis Hopson’s all-time scoring mark of 2,096 career points could be in play. If Thornton averages 15 points per game, he would get to 1,952 points after 31 games. If he averages 17.7 per game again, and Ohio State plays 35 games, Thornton would get to 2,106.
He also enters his senior year ninth all-time in assists at Ohio State and with the chance to be the first player to lead the Buckeyes in assists for four straight seasons. Aaron Craft did so from 2011-14. With 102 career starts, Thornton could also challenge William Buford’s Ohio State record of 137.
Thornton was third-team all-Big Ten as a sophomore when he averaged 15.7 points, 4.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds.
He has missed just one game in three years. Otherwise, Thornton has started 102 games for the Buckeyes while averaging 33.4 minutes per game.
His likely return has been helped by THE Foundation, the primary collective serving Ohio State’s men’s basketball and football programs.
Thornton is one of only three players in Ohio State history to finish a season with more than 100 assists and fewer than 50 turnovers, and he has done it twice: Thornton had 168 assists and 42 turnovers as a sophomore and 148 assists and 47 turnovers as a junior. His 2024-25 assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.15 led the Big Ten and was among the top 10 nationally.
Immediately after what proved to be a season-ending loss to Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, Thornton was noncommittal about his future with the Buckeyes but said his focus was on making sure his guys were OK as they waited to see if they would be picked for the NCAA Tournament or opt to appear in the inaugural College Basketball Crown event. Thornton is yet to participate in March Madness.
He did not participate in Ohio State’s senior day festivities.
Thornton has one season of eligibility remaining.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
