The Ohio State Buckeyes basketball team has one mission right now, and that's to get one of the best Buckeye basketball players of all time to the NCAA Tournament. Buckeye guard Bruce Thornton has been the heart, the guts, and the backbone of Ohio State basketball for four straight seasons. He led Ohio State to its most important win of the 2025-2026 season on Tuesday night with an 86-69 win over #24 Wisconsin.
Operation Get Bruce to March Madness with an important victory tonight in Columbus! The man himself became Ohio State's third all-time scorer, and finished as the game leader with 27! #GoBucks https://t.co/y5x1uyT3vF
— Phillip Riggs (@phillipriggs85) February 18, 2026
In the victory over the Badgers, Thornton scored 27 points, snagged 9 rebounds, and had 8 assists. He was the game's leading scorer and further wrote his name in Ohio State history books. His 27 points pushed him into solo possession of third all-time in points scored in Buckeye history. He passed legends Jerry Lucas and William Buford, and his 2,005 career points trail only Dennis Hopson (2,096) and Herb Williams (2,011).
But there is a big thing that has eluded Bruce Thornton's career, despite his being a four-year starter and four-year team captain. Bruce Thornton has never gotten the Buckeyes into the NCAA Tournament. While Ohio State fans have a wide-ranging opinion on the current state of the basketball program, and many are losing or have lost faith in head coach Jake Diebler, one thing is for certain: the rarity of a player like Bruce Thornton in this day and age.
A player of his caliber, to stay at a struggling program, in this era of the transfer portal and players being paid, is unheard of. No one would have blamed Thornton for going for cash, as a 6'2" frame alone may hinder his professional prospects. Some Ohio State fans have even taken to finding joy in Buckeye defeats, hoping they lead to what many see as necessary changes to get the program back to the shape it was in when it made 10 Final Fours.
Yet, through all of that, this man just keeps playing basketball with relentless and selfless effort. He deserves to lead this team into March Madness, and Buckeye Nation needs to back him and this team, no matter how they may feel about the head coach or state of the program. All of that is secondary to getting a man whose blood runs scarlet and gray a chance to dance in March.