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Ohio State

Jake Diebler declares Bruce Thornton should be regarded as 'one of the best guards in college basketball'

Danby: Daniel Hager02/19/26DanielHagerOn3

Ohio State earned its first ranked victory Tuesday night at home against No. 24 Wisconsin. The Buckeyes outscored the Badgers 86-69 to snag the win. Veteran guard Bruce Thornton contributed 27 points for Ohio State, marking his third consecutive 20-plus point game and his second consecutive 27-plus point game.

In his fourth season in Columbus, Thornton is averaging a career-high 19.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. Ohio State has alternated wins and losses over its past eight games, boasting a 4-4 record over that stretch. It sits at 17-9 on the season, good for a No. 11 seed in On3’s Bracketology.

Following the big win for Jake Diebler‘s team, Diebler declared that Thornton should be regarded as ‘one of the best guards in college basketball’.

“I don’t know enough about what other people say, but I know what coaches say about him,” Diebler said. “I know what coaches think about him. If they’re not, he should be regarded as one of the best guards in college basketball. If they’re not, then they need to watch us more and go back and watch him. No offense to anyone in here, but when coaches talk about what he’s capable of, it speaks volumes. I hope people are giving him the credit he deserves for how he’s performed.”

In a day and age where players come and go via the Transfer Portal, Thornton has spent all four seasons of his career at Ohio State. He remained with the program following Chris Holtmann‘s firing in the 2023-24 season and has thrived under Jake Diebler. In 128 career games, the Fairburn, GA native boasts a career average of 15.7 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.7 rebounds. His 2,005 career points ranks third most in program history, behind just Herb Williams (2,011) and Dennis Hopson (2,096).

With five regular season games remaining, Thornton needs to average at least 18.2 points per game to surpass Hopson as the program’s leading scorer. Ohio State will be facing some strong teams, however, including No. 15 Michigan State, Iowa, and No. 7 Purdue. With Thornton leading the way, the Buckeyes are seeking their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022. They haven’t advanced to the Sweet 16 since 2013, when they were led by Thad Matta.