Ohio State basketball: How can the Buckeyes win the Big Ten Tournament?

2. Thornton needs to keep dominating for the Ohio State basketball team

Since being named a captain of the Ohio State basketball team, freshman Bruce Thornton has been playing some stellar basketball. In the last four games, Thornton is averaging 17.3 points per game while achieving 20 points in two of those four games. He’s shot an elite 54% from the field during that span as well.

Thornton has been the motor for the Buckeyes all season long. When he goes, it seems like they have a chance in the game. They’ve split the last four games going 2-2, and Ohio State had a chance to win in the two losses.

As I mentioned on the last slide, the games in March are won because of quality guard play. In recent games, Thornton has shown that he can be trusted with the ball in his hands late in the game. In March, you see a lot of guards dictate the pace of the game and that results in the majority of the upsets. Thornton can be a guard like that as he’s done an excellent job the past few games at dictating the pace of the game.

The Buckeyes need Thornton to continue to play at this level if they want to make noise in the Big Ten Tournament. They’ve been playing significantly better the past few games and a major part of that is the play of Thornton. The guards thrive in this month all the time, I see Thornton thriving as well.

The final key for the Ohio State basketball team is they need to capitalize on their open looks.