TCU basketball hoping big-game experience gives it the edge against Ohio State
With the exception of senior guard Jayden Pierre, Thursday will mark the first NCAA Tournament game for the TCU men’s basketball roster.
Horned Frogs stars David Punch and Xavier Edmonds will get their first taste of March Madness as No. 9 seed TCU (22-11) faces No. 8 Ohio State (21-12) at 11:15 a.m. in Greenville, South Carolina. It’ll be the first game of the day on CBS.
Experience matters in the postseason, with veteran teams often being the ones that cut the nets down in April, but what the Horned Frogs lack in tournament experience they hope to make up for with their big-game experience.
TCU is the only team in the country that has faced three of the No. 1 seeds, with the Horned Frogs going 1-2 against Arizona, Michigan and Florida this season. If TCU wins, it would likely face No. 1 overall seed Duke in the second round Saturday.
The Horned Frogs also went 2-3 against Big 12 powers Houston, Iowa State, Kansas and Texas Tech, who all earned No. 5 seeds or better in the tournament. While those games weren’t NCAA Tournament games, they still provided a strong glimpse of what TCU can expect if it wants to make a run in March Madness.
“I don’t think we’re going to be intimidated or anything playing Ohio State,” coach Jamie Dixon said Sunday. “But you know we gotta play well. The reality is we didn’t play as good as I thought we were gonna play in the two games (at the Big 12 Tournament). ... We gotta be better, we gotta play better. It doesn’t matter who we play, we gotta play better.”
Punch, TCU’s leading scorer, said he believes the battles in the Big 12 will pay dividends when the Horned Frogs face the Buckeyes.
“I think it helps us a lot,” the sophomore forward said Wednesday. “Not a lot of teams get to have games like that. So I just think we’re a lot more battle-tested than a lot of teams in the tournament in general.
“I think that helps us be more together as a team. So when the arena gets loud and the fouls aren’t going our way, I feel we’ve been in that position before so it’s not gonna be anything new to it.”
Xavier Edmonds embraces first NCAA Tournament
Edmonds and Brock Harding spent Wednesday just being appreciative of finally making it to March Madness.
Edmonds spent the first two years of his career at Salt Lake Community College, where he became the No. 1-ranked junior college player in the country before signing with TCU this offseason. His excitement was clear to see, as he took photos of the media room and his teammates with his cellphone before the start of his interview.
“It’s crazy. I was just thinking about it on the bus, how I came from JUCO and just being here, it’s just kind of surreal,” the junior forward/center said. “It’s something that I have to process a little bit. ... I’m grateful to be here and grateful that I have the teammates that helped me get here.”
The third-team All-Big 12 selection will have to play a vital role for TCU if the Horned Frogs are to advance.
Harding spent the first two seasons of his career at Iowa, but the Hawkeyes failed to make the tournament.
There’s an irony that the junior guard’s first trip to the NCAAs will be against a familiar foe in the Buckeyes. Harding faced Ohio State four times at Iowa and went 2-2. His last game against the Buckeyes was one of the best of his career, as he scored 15 points and knocked down a clutch 3 to stave off an Ohio State comeback attempt in the 2025 Big Ten Tournament.
Harding’s experience against Ohio State could be the X-factor Thursday.
“They’re a really together group. They’ve won a lot of games this year,” Harding said of Ohio State. “I think this is the first time they’ve been in the tournament since I played them at Iowa, so it’s the first tournament game for both of us. There’s some mystery with them, and we had some good games with them at Iowa. It’ll be fun to play them tomorrow.”
While Thursday will be the first taste of March Madness for most of the roster, the Horned Frogs won’t be overwhelmed by the environment or their moment on the national stage.
“I think more than anything [the Big 12] helps with our mental. We know that we can compete with anybody in this tournament,” junior guard Tanner Toolson said. “We’ve had a lot of big tests. I think that swings it in our favor.”
