CHICAGO – At the free-throw line, Ohio State’s Gene Brown III was in the process of scoring what would be the final points of the season. Finally out of gas, No. 13 Ohio State had made its way to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals with wins against No. 12 seed Wisconsin, No. 5 seed Iowa and No. 4 seed Michigan State on successive days, but No. 1 Purdue was a bridge too far. The Boilermakers led 78-64 and were salting away the final seconds with Brown at the line when Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann called his point guard over. Freshman Bruce Thornton, voted a team captain at the midpoint of the year and a primary reason why the Buckeyes were able to do what they did at the United Center, made his way toward the bench as Brown sized up the rim. Looking on, Holtmann put his arm around…
Continue Reading: Ohio State reaches end of the line with loss to Purdue in Big Ten Tournament
