Matt Painter made some comments about Bruce Thornton following the No. 8 Purdue Boilermakers' matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday night.
Painter has been with the Boilermakers program since 2005, elevating them to serious national contention as a perennial NCAA Tournament team. They recently had their best run under him, getting to the national championship game in 2024 before losing to eventual champions UConn.
Painter has recruited many star players to the program, even the likes of Thornton. However, the star player decided to take his talents to Ohio State, embracing a big role in the Buckeyes' style of play.
Thornton proved himself with a big performance, finishing with 20 points and five rebounds in 37 minutes of action. Painter reflected on Thornton's performance after the game, making jokes about how he lost the young star in the recruiting journey.
“Bruce Thornton is a professional. A lot of young people aren't professional. He's a professional. He's what college basketball is all about. He could've ran, he didn't. He's just all about Ohio State,” Painter said, via reporter Connor Lemons.
“We recruited Bruce Thornton. I traveled to Milton, we really liked Bruce. Bruce liked us so much, he went to Ohio State. I have that effect on people.”
How Matt Painter, Purdue performed against Ohio State
Bruce Thornton and Ohio State had the last laugh over Matt Painter and Purdue, stunning them by an 82-74 score.
Four players scored in double-digits for Purdue in the loss. Braden Smith led the team with a stat line of 20 points, seven assists and two steals. He shot 7-of-18 from the field, including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. Trey Kaufman-Renn came next with 19 points and nine rebounds, Fletcher Loyer had 15 points and four rebounds, while CJ Cox provided 13 points and two rebounds.
Purdue fell to a 22-7 overall record on the season, going 12-6 in its Big Ten matchups so far. They sit at fifth place in the conference standings, being above the Wisconsin Badgers and the UCLA Bruins while trailing the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The No. 8 Boilermakers will look to bounce back in their next matchup, being on the road. They take on the Northwestern Wildcats as tip-off will take place on March 4 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
