GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Xavier Edmonds converted a layup to beat the shot clock with 4.3 seconds left, and No. 9 seed TCU held off a furious second-half rally by eighth-seeded Ohio State for a 66-64 victory on Thursday to open the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Bruce Thornton's half-court heave at the buzzer hit all backboard, and the Buckeyes' standout senior leaned forward and put his hands on his knees in dismay near midcourt as TCU began its
celebration.
Micah Robinson scored 18 points for TCU, Edmonds finished with 16 and David Punch had 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Horned Frogs (23-11) will play Saturday against either No. 16 seed Siena or Duke, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.
John Mobley. Jr. scored 15 points to lead Ohio State (21-13), which was making its first March Madness appearance since 2022.
TCU built a 15-point halftime lead and appeared in control, only to miss 18 of its first 22 shots to start the second half and fall behind 55-50 with seven minutes left.
The Horned Frogs rallied for a 64-61 advantage on a 3 by Robinson with 56 seconds left. Thornton hit a tying 3 with 33 seconds left before TCU called timeout to set up a final play in the halfcourt.
Both teams came into the tournament playing well. Ohio State won four straight before falling to Michigan 71-67 in the Big Ten Tournament. TCU had won six in a row before losing to Kansas 79-78 in the Big 12 tourney.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
