Ohio State’s ferocious comeback falls short, drop to No. 9 TCU 66-64 in NCAA Tournament

Reilly Cahill
Thu, 19 Mar 2026 20:20:04 +0000
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The Ohio State men’s basketball team huddles on the court before facing TCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Credit: Reilly Cahill | Senior Sports Writer

It’s been 1,460 days since Ohio State last appeared in the NCAA Tournament.

The Buckeyes will have to wait at least another year to win their first March Madness game since 2022.

The Buckeyes overcame a 15-point halftime deficit and had a late lead against Texas Christian University but came up just short and fell 66-64 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

After TCU’s Micah Robinson and Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton each made 3-pointers in the final minute, the game was tied and the Horned Frogs had the ball with under 30 seconds.

A layup by TCU’s Xavier Edmonds in the final seconds proved to be the difference.

Head coach Jake Diebler said he hopes that Ohio State’s effort on the court made an impression on fans.

“I hope people saw and appreciated the toughness and family atmosphere we have in this program,” Diebler said. “That’s what this program was built upon, being tough and being connected.”

On the first possession of the game, in his first NCAA Tournament game, Ohio State’s all-time leading scorer Bruce Thornton drilled a 3-pointer.

Ohio State then did not make another field goal for just under six minutes, as TCU’s defensive pressure caused problems for the Buckeyes offense.

“We anticipated seeing that, we didn’t execute well enough against it in the first half,” Diebler said.

The Horned Frogs ended the half on an 11-0 run as the Buckeyes went on another scoring drought of over three minutes.

Trailing TCU 39-24 at the half, Ohio State faced its largest halftime deficit of the season and the message in the locker room was clear: It was time to fight.

“It’s do or die at that moment,” Thornton said.

Behind two 3-pointers from John Mobley Jr., Ohio State cut the deficit to 43-40, its smallest since 9:07 in the first half.

“I’m not going home without putting all my all to it,” Mobley Jr. said while reflecting on his performance.

The Horn Frogs rallied to take back their lead, but the Buckeyes had other plans. A 3-pointer from Gabe Cupps capped a 7-0 run, making the score 49-47, forcing a timeout from TCU head coach Jamie Dixon.

Ohio State didn’t stop there.

Off an acrobatic finish, Amare Bynum put Ohio State ahead 51-50 with 7:24 remaining, for its first lead since 17:58 in the first half.

Back-to-back baskets from Devin Royal gave the Buckeyes a cushion of five points with 6:19 remaining.

But TCU wouldn’t go away, and with less than a minute remaining, the game was tied at 61.

The teams traded 3-pointers, with TCU’s Micah Robinson hitting from beyond the arc, followed by Thornton for another tie.

Xavier Edmonds made a layup over two Buckeyes with 4.3 seconds remaining to put TCU ahead 66-64.

The Buckeyes had one last gasp, feeding the ball to Thornton for a last-ditch effort with a season on the line.

His half-court attempt was off-target, and the Buckeye season was over.

“TCU is a great team, it’s just hard to battle back from that much of a deficit around this time of year,” Thornton said.

Diebler said he’s proud of each player’s growth throughout the season.

“I can leave that locker room today saying every single young man in our program grew as a man and as a player, that’s important to me,” Diebler said.

In his final game, Thornton described what it was like to play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his collegiate career.

“It’s something I can tell my kids and my grandkids in the future,” Thornton said. “I’m just excited I experienced it with guys that wanted to be here. I’m just glad I could put Ohio State back on the map.”