Though Ohio State didn’t come away with the win in the Nashville Hoops Showdown this weekend in Tennessee, they kept it close against the No. 15 team in the country, even without the Buckeyes’ starting guard John Mobley Jr., who was ruled out indefinitely with a hand injury.
In large part, this was thanks to the efforts of senior guard Bruce Thornton, who put up 28 points, four rebounds, three steals, and an assist (his career 500th) in the back-and-forth game between the 16-9 Buckeyes and the 22-3 Virginia Cavaliers. He, along with freshman Amare Bynum, put up 10 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Thornton, who is now fifth on Ohio State’s all-time leading scoring list with 1978 points, continues to chase the record with Saturday’s performance. He now sits just 12 points behind Jerry Lucas (1960-62) and William Buford (2009-12), who are tied for third with 1990 career points each. Just one more game, as he had on Saturday, would push Thornton over the 2,000-point threshold…