ESPN.com · Feb 18, 2024
Ohio State stuns No. 1 Purdue in interim coach's debut
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State stunned No. 2 Purdue on Sunday in its interim coach's debut, winning 73-69 a day after the NCAA Tournament selection committee picked the Boilermakers as the early favorite to be the No. 1 overall seed during March Madness.
Bruce Thornton scored 22 points and Jamison Battle added 19 points to help Ohio State (15-11, 5-10 Big Ten) pull off the upset in Jake Diebler's first game at the helm.
Chris Holtmann was fired Wednesday after several disappointing seasons. The beleaguered Buckeyes had lost nine of their last eleven games.
Purdue (23-3, 12-3) had been favored by 7 1/2 points, according to ESPN BET.