GREENVILLE, S.C. — Xavier Edmonds made a go-ahead layup with 4.3 seconds left to lift No. 9 TCU to a 66-64 victory over No. 8 Ohio State in a first-round East Region matchup on Thursday afternoon.
Micah Robinson led TCU (23-11) with 18 points, while David Punch added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Horned Frogs, who fell behind by five after leading by 15 points at halftime. Edmonds also scored 16 for TCU, which advanced to face No. 1 Duke on Saturday.
“We win close games. We’ve been doing that for a long time,” said Horned Frogs coach Jamie Dixon, who guided TCU to its first postseason win since 2023. “They showed character. … I’m very happy for our guys. They earned it. They’ve earned it all year long. It’s been quite a journey for this team.”
John Mobley Jr.’s 15 points led Ohio State (21-13), followed by Devin Royal’s 14. Amare Bynum added 12 and Bruce Thornton and Christoph Tilly chipped in 10 apiece.
TCU missed 10 of its first 11 field-goal attempts to start the second half and saw its advantage trimmed to three on Royal’s floater at the 12:42 mark. Jayden Pierre stopped the run with a 3-pointer to give the Horned Frogs a 46-40 edge.
Following Punch’s three-point play, Buckeye reserve Gabe Cupps hit a 3-pointer to stamp a 7-0 run, slicing the deficit to two with 8:50 left.
Just over a minute later, Bynum’s runner high off the glass gave Ohio State a one-point lead — its first since the first two minutes of the game. The run continued as Royal’s consecutive baskets at the rim put the Buckeyes ahead 55-50.
TCU fought back to grab a one-point lead on Punch’s layup with 3:58 left. After Thornton’s free throws returned the lead to Ohio State, Punch powered for a three-point play to give the Horned Frogs a 61-59 edge with 1:45 remaining.
Royal’s free throws knotted the score at 61-61. Robinson and Thornton traded 3-pointers in the final minute, again tying the score.
TCU then took its final timeout, leading to Edmonds’ game-winner. Thornton’s half-court heave hit high off the backboard as time expired.
“We just felt like them as a Big Ten team, they just haven’t felt or seen a defense like ours, just being in the Big 12 and the different level of physicality and intensity,” Edmonds said. “So we just wanted to go out there and show them what Big 12 basketball is really about and just do our job, everything we were taught, and it worked out.”
The contest was the final college game for Thornton, the Buckeyes’ all-time leading scorer with 2,164 career points.
“He will always be part of our family,” Buckeyes coach Jake Diebler said of Thornton. “… We took an important step for our program. He was huge reason for that.”
Ohio State missed several early shots and fell behind 10-5 on Punch’s floater.
Robinson and Edmonds drilled consecutive triples to open up a seven-point TCU lead. After Bynum’s layup stopped the bleeding, Edmonds’ second trey gave the Horned Frogs a 23-15 edge.
Robinson hit TCU’s fifth 3-pointer of the first half with 3:15 remaining, extending the lead to 31-24. The Horned Frogs tacked on Edmonds’ steal and slam, followed by Robinson and Brock Harding’s triples to close the half on an 11-0 run.
–Jack Batten, Field Level Media
