Bruce Thornton will close his basketball career with a second consecutive second-team All-Big Ten nod.
Ohio State's star guard and newly-minted career points record holder landed on the conference's second team according to both its media and its coaches, the Big Ten announced on Tuesday. Fellow guard John Mobley Jr. earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors, and Thornton was the Buckeyes' sportsmanship award honoree.
Thornton's output in 2025-26 was the best of his career as he guided Ohio State to a 20-11 record, 12-8 mark in Big Ten play and likely its first NCAA Tournament appearance in four years. He racked up 20.1 points per game – the fourth-most in the Big Ten – with 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest.
While second-team recognition is nothing to sneeze at, it seems like a snub for the Big Ten's most efficient scorer at guard. Thornton led all backcourt players in the conference in field-goal percentage, shooting a gaudy 55.8% from the field. He added a 39.7% mark from 3-point range. He's also been one of the best defensive guards in the conference the past few seasons, and recorded 1.2 steals per game in 2025-26, tied for fifth in the league.
In addition to Thornton's breaking of Ohio State's career points record, he's now third all-time at the school in assists with 530 on his career. He boasted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.2 to 1 this campaign. He adds a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2024-25 and a third-team nod in 2023-24 to his second-team naming as a senior.
Mobley collected his honorable mention after being one of the Big Ten's most lethal 3-point shooters in 2025-26, finishing second in the conference with a 42.4% mark from downtown. He averaged 15.9 points and 2.8 assists per game.
