The Ohio State Buckeyes are the first team to tip off as March Madness officially kicks off on Thursday, March 19. They square off against the TCU Horned Frogs at 12:15 ET at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC, with the game streaming on CBS.
Ohio State enters as 2.5-point favorites as of Tuesday, looking to prove they are more than a one-and-done in their first tournament appearance since 2022. So just how deep can this team go?
Let's be real. Ohio State landed in one of the toughest sides of the bracket in the East, where five-plus teams are legitimate threats capable of clawing their way out of this gauntlet. If the Buckeyes get past TCU in round one, they draw No. 1-seeded Duke. How's that for a welcome mat? This side of the bracket also doubles as a coaching clinic, featuring Duke's Jon Scheyer, UConn's Dan Hurley, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Kansas' Bill Self, St. John's Rick Pitino, and UCLA's Mick Cronin. Whoever emerges from the East will have been through the fire.
Can OSU beat TCU?
TCU plays a solid brand of defense, but as a team, they are a jack of all trades and a master of none. They don't shoot the three particularly well at 33.1%, which ranks 233rd in the country. They don't rebound at an elite level either, sitting 107th nationally in rebound margin. No one on their roster averages more than 14.3 points per game, and they shoot just below 71% from the free-throw line. None of those numbers jump off the page, yet the Horned Frogs went 22-11 and played top teams tight all season long.
Ohio State needs its starters to show up early and often. The Buckeye bench has not contributed much all year, and there is no reason to expect that to change when the stakes are at their highest. Senior guard Bruce Thornton needs to be the engine offensively and put up 18 or more if the Buckeyes want to advance. John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal are equally critical, as double-digit contributions from both will be necessary to fend off the Horned Frogs.
A possible Duke matchup
Duke is the top team in this tournament and has lost just two games all season. Head coach Jon Scheyer has done an incredible job building this Blue Devils squad, which is remarkably young yet frighteningly talented. Duke leads the country in a ton of important categories and is the only team ranked in the top four nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. They are led by freshman sensation Cameron Boozer, a consensus top-three NBA Draft pick this summer, and they surround him with two additional draft-caliber players in Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba II.
The Blue Devils play suffocating defense, but they are not without vulnerabilities. Caleb Foster and Ngongba II are both dealing with foot injuries, and the offensive load outside of Boozer is a legitimate concern. Boozer averages nearly 23 points per game. Evans checks in below 15, Ngongba at 10.7, and nobody else touches double figures. Duke is a great team, but if Boozer is contained or limited, the question of who picks up the slack becomes very real.
Ohio State has shown they can hang with the best of them as the season has progressed, knocking off Purdue and playing both Michigan and Michigan State close. If the Buckeyes were to see Duke in round two, could they slow down Boozer and pull off the upset? It certainly will not be easy, but it is far from impossible. These Blue Devils have question marks hiding just below the surface.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Previewing Ohio State basketball's March Madness run