The value of veteran, productive guards in the NCAA Tournament is incalculable.
On the biggest stages, those who handle the ball and score at all three levels can make all the difference. And Ohio State has two supreme weapons at its two starting guard positions, with a couple of supporting cast members on the perimeter.
“It's critical to give yourself a chance to be successful,” Jake Diebler said on Sunday. “And I think we have one of the best backcourts in the country. I also think we’ve got some really good pieces outside of our backcourt that have stepped up throughout the course of the season in big-time moments.”
As the No. 8 seed Buckeyes sit two days away from their first NCAA Tournament game in four years against No. 9 seed TCU, Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. can provide a distinct advantage with their seasoning, savvy and scoring at the point and shooting guard positions.
“What we’ve got to do is we’ve got to trust each other on both sides of the ball, like we have been,” Diebler said. “But make no mistake, it gives you a sense of confidence as a coach when you go into a game, when you have this level of guard play on your team. And I think even Taison (Chatman) has even added some value to that. Devin (Royal), on the perimeter, has added value to that.”
It’s been a big year for Bruuuuuuuuce, as the Schottenstein Center has affectionately come to know him over the past four seasons.
Second to none. pic.twitter.com/epKpo6ml0m
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) March 7, 2026
Thornton is averaging 20.2 points per game, the most by any Ohio State basketball player since Evan Turner (whose jersey number has since been retired) put up 20.4 points per contest in 2009-10. Thornton is shooting 40% from 3-point range and a career-high 55.8% from the field. He’s tacked on a team-high 3.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
In Ohio State’s regular-season finale, the four-time team captain broke the school’s all-time scoring record. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors for the second straight year – which felt like a snub – and is turning the ball over just 1.3 times per game, a career-low for a player with a reputation for great ball security and decision-making.
Mobley is among the most lethal 3-point shooters in the Big Ten, as he was as a freshman in 2024-25, but his interior scoring, playmaking and defense have all taken leaps in 2025-26. He’s jumped from 39.6% from two (he shot 38.5% from three last year) to 47% and gone from 2.2 to 2.7 assists per game. He’s shooting 41.8% from downtown, good for third-best in the conference, fueling his 15.7 points per game.
When Diebler envisioned this year’s roster after his first full season as a head coach came to a disappointing end in 2025, it started with this backcourt and Royal.
“You guys know how important retention was to me,” Diebler said. “I was very transparent about that as we built this roster. Bruce, Juni and Devin, that's where we started. And we built it out from there and built around those guys. So I think those three on the perimeter for us, and Devin's versatility with what he can do on the on the interior, it's been a huge part of our success this season. And it's going to play a major role in how the rest of the season plays out.”
Mobley’s return from a finger injury partially kick-started Ohio State’s late-season run to coast into the NCAA Tournament. That and the return to full health of center Christoph Tilly and Royal, and better overall production, particularly on defense. The Buckeyes carried a three-game winning streak into the Big Ten Tournament, then avenged their Iowa loss that preempted the streak there before falling in a close bout with No. 1 seed (both in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments) Michigan.
Diebler’s roster vision has been realized over the past five games. Freshman forward Amare Bynum has provided bursts of offense. Tilly had a key 16-point performance in the win over Iowa. Guard Taison Chatman, who missed the Michigan game but will be back for the NCAA Tournament, Diebler said, has offered needed bench production in doses.
“I think the pieces we were able to put together – now that you guys have seen us healthy and healthier, I think you're seeing what this team has been capable of,” Diebler said. “And for us to be playing the way we're playing right now, it takes everybody to play their role really well for us to play at the level we're playing at. And so, certainly, those three guys were foundational, a big part of our foundation for this roster, but I like the pieces we have on this team. I like how guys have settled into the roles, being stars in the roles.”
Also back for the Buckeyes’ bench are forward Brandon Noel and wing Puff Johnson. Noel played his first minutes since Jan. 5 against the Wolverines after missing more than two months with a foot injury. Johnson saw his first action since Feb. 25. Noel has managed three double-figure scoring outings in 15 games this year, including a 29-point outing that fueled Ohio State’s first Quad 1 win at Northwestern.
Bynum overtook Noel as the Buckeyes’ starting power forward 11 games into the campaign, however. Noel averages 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game in 2025-26, while Johnson picks up 2.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 11.6 minutes.
But above all else, Thornton and Mobley are the foundations that hold it together. The Buckeyes are 8-1 in games where Mobley makes at least five 3-pointers. In Ohio State’s momentous closing five-game stretch, he averaged 18.6 points with 2.4 assists, knocking down 45.7% of his 3-point attempts.
Mobley’s been the wingman that Thornton needs. Thornton is averaging 21.4 points and 4.6 assists while shooting a blistering 66.7% from the field and 52.4% from three in the same five-game gauntlet, doing more than his part to secure his lone career Big Dance bid.
Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. sing Carmen Ohio together after a win. Photo credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
Ohio State has had a lot of experience with Thornton being double-teamed on ball screens, and TCU is known for that trapping style of defense. The Horned Frogs will also double toward the baseline. When they’ve had success, it’s largely when they’ve won the turnover battle, because they can force a lot of them. They record 13.8 takeaways per game, 35th-most in the country. They rank 68th out of 365 college hoops teams in points allowed per 100 possessions at 102.3.
“Physical and aggressive defensively,” Diebler said of TCU on Monday. “I think they do a good job of turning teams over and they're really aggressive on the glass. So we're used to that in this league, certainly. But yeah, really good team. It's had some big-time wins this year, and a coach who's had success in the tournament before. But I think their physicality and aggressiveness defensively is what really stood out initially.”
If Thornton and Mobley are operating at full capacity, though, it’s hard not to like Ohio State’s chances.
“We didn't stay in Chicago as long we would have liked,” Diebler said. “Put ourselves in position in the game on Friday (against Michigan) to win it and disappointed. And we talked about that after the game. We were disappointed we didn't win it. But we also talked about, when we left the United Center, we had to kind of leave that there and keep our momentum going. And a big reason we've had momentum is the way this team has approached each and every day and the chemistry that I mentioned earlier.”
