March Madness 2026 got off to a roaring start.
No. 9 seed TCU beat No. 8 Ohio State in a thriller Thursday afternoon in the first game of the NCAA Tournament as Xavier Edmonds sunk a lay-in with 4.3 seconds left to break a tie and give the Horned Frogs a 66-64 win.
TCU led by 15 points at halftime, but the Buckeyes stormed back to take the lead midway through the second half, leading by as many as five before the game tightened down the stretch.
Micah Robinson’s 3-pointer gave TCU a three-point lead with 57 seconds left, but Bruce Thornton countered with a 3-pointer of his own with a defender all over him to tie the game with 35 seconds remaining.
Edmonds then played hero down low, fighting off multiple defenders with the shot clock winding down to put TCU in the second round for the third time in five years.
Edmonds finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Robinson had 18 points and five rebounds while shooting 4-for-6 from deep. David Punch added 16 points and 13 rebounds.
John Mobley Jr. led Ohio State with 15 points, adding six assists.
TCU will likely play No. 1 Duke on Saturday in Greenville, S.C., assuming No. 16 Siena doesn’t pull off an all-time upset.
