NCAA BASKETBALL: Xavier Edmonds breaks late deadlock, lifts TCU over Ohio State

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. Edmonds also scored 16 for the Horned Frogs, who overcame a five-point deficit after leading by 15 at halftime. TCU will 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. led Ohio State (21-13) with 15 points, followed by Devin Royal’s 14. Amare Bynum added 12, while Bruce Thornton and Christoph Tilly chipped in 10 apiece.

TCU struggled to start the second half, missing 10 of its first 11 shots, and saw its lead shrink to three on Royal’s floater at the 12:42 mark. Jayden Pierre stopped the run with a 3-pointer to give TCU a 46-40 advantage.

After Punch’s three-point play, Buckeye reserve Gabe Cupps hit a 3-pointer to spark a 7-0 run, cutting the deficit to two with 8:50 remaining. Bynum’s runner over a minute later gave Ohio State a one-point lead — its first since the opening minutes. Royal’s back-to-back baskets extended the Buckeyes’ lead to 55-50.

TCU responded, regaining a one-point edge on Punch’s layup with 3:58 left. After Thornton’s free throws tied the game for Ohio State, Punch powered for a three-point play to give the Horned Frogs a 61-59 lead with 1:45 remaining. Free throws by Royal tied the score again, and Robinson and Thornton exchanged 3-pointers in the final minute.

TCU called its final timeout, setting up Edmonds’ game-winning layup. Thornton’s half-court heave at the buzzer hit high off the backboard.

“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 game marked the final college appearance for Thornton, Ohio State’s all-time leading scorer with 2,164 career points. “He will always be part of our family,” Buckeyes coach Jake Diebler said. “... We took an important step for our program. He was huge reason for that.”

TCU opened the game strong as Robinson and Edmonds hit consecutive 3-pointers to build a seven-point lead. Edmonds’ second trey extended the Horned Frogs’ advantage to 23-15. Late first-half runs, highlighted by Edmonds’ steal and slam and key 3-pointers by Robinson and Brock Harding, allowed TCU to take a 36-24 lead into halftime.

—Jack Batten, Field Level Media/Reuters