Bruce Thornton on the dismissal of Chris Holtmann and how it fueled the Buckeyes to a massive upset win over Purdue

It didn’t take long for the Ohio State basketball team to lock in after the dismissal of their former head coach, Chris Holtmann. In just their first game since Holtmann hasn’t been on the team, the Buckeyes stunned the second-ranked Purdue Boilermakers, 73-69, in their biggest win of the season. Following the victory, Bruce Thornton spoke with the CBS Sports broadcasting crew.

"We had a crazy week man. To fire Coach Holtmann. Had to make sure my team came together cause we had a big game against Purdue — we could turn our season around. I still have faith in my teammates and my coaching staff."

—@OhioStateHoops Bruce Thornton pic.twitter.com/KVfzPCpUju

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 18, 2024

“I’m so thankful for my teammates, man. But first of all, I thank my Lord and my savior Jesus Christ first. And praying for my team each and every day. But keep working. We had a crazy week, man. To fire Coach Holtmann. Had to make sure my team came together cause we had a big game against Purdue—we could turn our season around,” Thornton said.

“I still have faith in my teammates and my coaching staff. I’m just so thankful for my teammates for the confidence in me to get the dub today,” the Ohio State guard noted.

Thornton stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists on Sunday. He drilled two of the biggest points in the final seconds, after Purdue fouled him down by two points. Thornton hit both free throws to ice the game for good.

What was the biggest change in the Buckeyes’ roster the past few days? According to Thornton, it was all about having a different mindset and mentality in practice.

“We brought attitude for the past three days how we practiced each and every day. I’m just so thankful for Coach Diebler just having trust me in me in certain situations to get a bucket. My teammates set me up perfectly to get to my spots. They played great defensively. We were all on the same page. We all had the same mindset,” Thornton said on the Buckeyes’ floor.

Purdue star Zach Edey finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, giving him the 58th career double double. The Boilermakers had 14 turnovers, which led to 22 points for Ohio State. Purdue had previously won nine straight games and 16 of their last 17. Their last loss was on January 9th. Jamison Battle also chipped in double digits for Ohio State, finishing with 19 points and four rebounds.

Up next, Ohio State visits Minnesota on Thursday night. Purdue will face off against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Thursday night.