Big Ten admits error on Bruce Thornton foul call in Buckeyes controversial loss to Minnesota
COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said in a statement Friday morning that the Big Ten reached out about the controversial foul called on Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton with 1.7 seconds left against Minnesota Thursday night, which awarded the Golden Gophers a game-winning free throw.
Holtmann noted, according to The Columbus Dispatch‘s Adam Jardy, that the league told him “it was a clean block by Ohio State and a foul should not have been called.”
But Holtmann made it clear after the Buckeyes’ 70-67 loss — its third straight defeat — that, even though he believed Thornton got all ball on the play, his team shouldn’t have had itself in that position.
“We weren’t really ever in this game in terms of feeling like we had kind of imposed our will,” Holtmann said. “In some ways, if we had won it, it would have been a bit of a disservice. Because I’m not sure that we deserved it. So they did a great job clawing back, our guys did — they did a good job executing late.
“But, the reality is, I’m not sure that we earned this one, if we would have won it.”
Previously winless in Big Ten play, Minnesota led the Buckeyes for practically 35 minutes in The Schottenstein Center. Holtmann called it his team’s worst offensive performance of the season, and the numbers back that claim. Ohio State shot a season-low 40.0% from the floor and was 9-of-20 on layups.
Even so, because of the Buckeyes’ 18 second-chance points and a handful of Minnesota missed free throws down the stretch, Ohio State stayed alive until Thornton was whistled while contesting Ta’lon Cooper at the cup.
“Obviously, we watched it last night as a staff,” assistant coach Jack Owens said Friday of the foul call. “You break down the game film. It was just an unfortunate call. As you know, one call doesn’t decide a game, but it was a big call. If we go to overtime, you never know what could happen and those sorts of things.
“But, at the end of the day, our focus is on getting better as a team.”
Ohio State has now lost three straight games for the first time since it closed the 2020-21 regular season with four defeats in a row.
The Buckeyes were on the other end of a Big Ten officiating error in their league opener when Tanner Holden made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat Rutgers that shouldn’t have counted because, prior to the shot, he was the first player to touch the ball after drifting out of bounds.
