By Danielle Daniels
12/23/2024
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Coming off a 2-0 week and a 20-point win over No. 4 Kentucky on Saturday, Ohio State swept the Big Ten men’s basketball weekly awards as Bruce Thornton was named the Big Ten Player of the Week and John Mobley Jr. was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
This is the first Big Ten weekly award for either player. The last Buckeye to earn player of the week honors was E.J. Liddell on Dec. 13, 2021. The last freshman of the week was Brice Sensabaugh on Jan. 23, 2023.
Thornton averaged 22.0 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and shot nearly 60 percent in the two games last week. He scored a career-high 30 points at Madison Square Garden Saturday to lead the Buckeyes to their largest margin of victory over a Top 5 team in 13 years. He was 8-of-13 from the floor and a season-best 13-of-14 from the free throw line. Thornton also scored 14 points and dished out a game-high six assists in the win over Valparaiso earlier in the week.
Mobley Jr. averaged 12.0 points and 4.0 assists while making the first two starts of his collegiate career in a pair of Buckeye wins. He recorded eight assists and zero turnovers, playing all but 10 and a half minutes in the two games. Against Kentucky, the Reynoldsburg, Ohio native had 15 points, three assists and three rebounds. He scored nine points, five assists and made three three-pointers in the win over Valpo.
The duo combined for three steals and a block vs. Kentucky as the Buckeyes held UK, the nation’s leading offense, to a season-low in points (65) and shooting percentage (29.8). It was also just the second 20-point win against Kentucky for any UK opponent in the last 30 years.
The last time Ohio State swept the weekly awards was on Feb. 2, 2015, when D’Angelo Russell claimed both awards. This was only the second time two Buckeyes combined to sweep the awards. Jon Diebler was the player of the week and Jared Sullinger was the freshman of the week on March 7, 2011.
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