Purdue HC Matt Painter didn’t hold back how he really feels about Ohio State PG Bruce Thornton after the Buckeyes upset the Boilermakers

Matt Painter got really honest about the Ohio State basketball star.

Brandon Little — Ohio State Buckeyes & Cleveland Browns News Writer
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Sunday was massive for the Ohio State Buckeyes with a home win in Columbus over No. 8 Purdue and it was one they just had to have. 

Ohio State picked up a major win for its postseason resume with a Quad 1 win over Purdue by a score of 82-74. The Buckeyes looked the part the entire way and moved to 18-11 on the season. 

John Mobley Jr. was the high man for the Buckeyes in scoring with 21 points and Bruce Thornton was right behind him with 20 of his own. Speaking of Thornton, Purdue head coach Matt Painter tipped his cap to him after the game. 

Matt Painter sends a strong statement about Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton 

“Not a lot of young people are professional; he’s a professional,” Painter said on Sunday afternoon. “He’s what college basketball is all about. He could have run, transferred, all that stuff. He stayed and fought … He’s all about winning. He’s not about himself. Dudes like him are gold.”

Ohio State needed Sunday’s win to try to give Thornton something he hasn’t had in his four-year Buckeyes career: a bid in the NCAA Tournament. 

The Buckeyes remain on the bubble but have upcoming games against Penn State and Indiana to end the regular season and both games are very winnable for Ohio State. Jake Diebler’s squad can’t afford to drop either of the remaining games. It would do the Buckeyes a big favor to win a game in the Big Ten Tournament as well. 

Thornton bouncing back with a 20-point game on 6-of-9 shooting a game after being held to 10 points in a loss to Iowa was big. Painter recognizes the player Ohio State has with Thornton and how rare it is for someone to tough it out four years with no postseason to show for four years of being a really good player. 

Ohio State has won three straight against Purdue and the Buckeye oddly enough have the Boilermakers’ number right now. The Buckeyes will be back in action on Thursday when they travel to Penn State. 

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