Matt Painter made a recruiting joke to Bruce Thornton after upsetting Ohio State

Matt Painter made some comments about Bruce Thornton after no. 8 Purdue Boilermakers vs. Ohio State game 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, reaching the 2024 national championship game before losing to eventual champion UConn.

Painter recruited many stars 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 had a great 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 a young star in the recruitment process.

“Bruce Thornton is a pro. A lot of young people aren’t pro. He’s a pro. He’s what college basketball is. He could run, he didn’t. He’s just doing 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 such an impact on people.”

As Matt Painter, Purdue performed against Ohio State

Bruce Thornton and Ohio State had the last laugh on Matt Painter and Purdue, stunning them 82-74.

Four players scored in double figures for Purdue in the loss. Braden Smith led the team with 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. It was Trey Kaufman-Wren’s turn with 19 points and nine rebounds, Fletcher Lower had 15 points and four rebounds, while CJ Cox had 13 points and two rebounds.

Purdue falls to 22-7 overall on the season, going 12-6 in Big Ten games so far. They sit in fifth place in the conference standings, above the Wisconsin Badgers and UCLA Bruins while falling behind the Illinois Fighting Illini and Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The No. 8 Boilermakers will look to bounce back in their next matchup as they are on the road. They take on the Northwestern Wildcats and tip-off will take place on March 4th at 8:30pm ET.