Back in the Dance
Ohio State men’s basketball makes its first NCAA Tournament in four years as a No. 8 seed and will play TCU in Round 1.
Ohio State is favored to win its first NCAA Tournament game in four years.
The No. 8 seed Buckeyes opened as a 2.5-point favorite across multiple sportsbooks for their first-round game against No. 9 seed TCU on Thursday in Greenville, South Carolina (time and TV network TBA).
Ohio State is a -198 favorite on the moneyline with an over/under of 147.5, giving the game an implied score of Ohio State 75, TCU 72.5.
TCU enters the game with a slightly better overall record (22-11) than Ohio State (21-12), but the Buckeyes (29th) are ranked 10 spots higher than TCU (39th) in the NET rankings. The Buckeyes are 17 spots higher than TCU in KenPom’s team ratings, with Ohio State ranked 26th and TCU ranked 43rd.
Ohio State is 17-15-1 against the spread this season, while TCU is 18-15-1.
The Buckeyes are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022 after missing the Big Dance in each of the last three years. Ohio State advanced to the second round in its last NCAA Tournament appearance, defeating No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago before losing to No. 2 seed Villanova as a No. 7 seed.
TCU is seeking its first NCAA Tournament win since 2023, when the Horned Frogs defeated No. 11 Arizona State in the first round before losing to No. 3 seed Gonzaga in the second round. The Horned Frogs missed the NCAA Tournament last year after losing to No. 8 Utah State as a No. 9 seed in 2024.
