Eric Boggs
After four years away from college basketball’s biggest stage, Ohio State is heading back to the NCAA Tournament with momentum and belief. The Buckeyes learned their postseason path on Sunday, earning a No. 8 seed and a first-round matchup against No. 9 seed TCU. The game is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. Thursday in Greenville, South Carolina, and will be televised nationally on CBS.
Ohio State enters March Madness playing some of its best basketball of the season. The Buckeyes endured a difficult moment late in the regular season when they fell 74-57 at Iowa on Feb. 25, one of their most disappointing losses of the year. Instead of letting that defeat derail their season, the team responded with a surge that effectively secured its tournament bid.
Ohio State followed that loss with four straight wins, including a signature upset of then-No. 8 Purdue and convincing victories over Penn State and Indiana to close the regular season. The Buckeyes carried that momentum into the Big Ten Tournament, where they earned a measure of revenge against Iowa in the third round before pushing conference champion Michigan to the brink in the quarterfinals. Although Ohio State ultimately fell 71-67 in that matchup, the performance reinforced the idea that the Buckeyes are peaking at the right time.
That late-season run is a big reason why Ohio State could be a dangerous opponent in the tournament bracket. Experienced guard play has long been one of the most valuable assets in March, and the Buckeyes are well-equipped in that department with veterans like Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. leading the offense. Their ability to control tempo and deliver in high-pressure moments gives Ohio State the kind of backcourt capable of troubling even elite opponents.
Still, the immediate focus is on TCU. The Horned Frogs arrive with a slightly better overall record at 22-11, compared to Ohio State’s 21-12 mark, but the advanced metrics lean in the Buckeyes’ favor. Ohio State sits at No. 29 in the NET rankings, ten spots ahead of TCU at No. 39, and the Buckeyes also hold a notable edge in KenPom’s ratings, where Ohio State ranks 26th while TCU comes in at 43rd.
Sportsbooks also view the Buckeyes as the slight favorite. Ohio State opened as a 2.5-point favorite with a moneyline around -198. The over/under for the game is set at 147.5, which projects an expected score in the neighborhood of 75-72 in favor of the Buckeyes. Against the spread this season, Ohio State holds a 17-15-1 record, while TCU sits at 18-15-1.
For Ohio State fans, the return to the tournament alone represents a significant milestone. The Buckeyes last appeared in the Big Dance in 2022, when they defeated Loyola Chicago in the first round before falling to Villanova in the second. This year’s team hopes to build on that history and push deeper into March, especially considering the program has not reached the Sweet 16 in 13 years.
If Ohio State can get past TCU, a massive challenge likely awaits in the second round in the form of No. 1 seed Duke. But before looking that far ahead, the Buckeyes must handle the task in front of them.
For a team that has caught fire at just the right moment, the opportunity is there. Now Ohio State returns to the national stage with a chance to prove that its late-season surge was only the beginning of something bigger.
