Published Mar 17, 9:36pm ET by
Keith McCarthy - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Mar 17, 9:36pm ET
Updated Mar 17, 9:38pm ET
TCU and Ohio State face off in an exciting first round clash. Both teams enter the tournament red-hot, surging from bubble teams to safely in the field. A round 2 clash with Duke awaits the winner.
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| Ohio State Buckeyes | -140 |
| TCU Horned Frogs | +120 |
TCU surged into the tournament with a 9-2 record over their last 11 games. Once a bubble team, the Horned Frogs safely made the tourney as a 9-seed. Unfortunately, they were rewarded with a brutal draw against an equally hot Ohio State team. Before even thinking about a Round 2 matchup with top overall seed Duke, TCU needs to find a way to slow the Buckeyes down. Leading scorer David Punch will play a key role in this game.
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The Buckeyes came up short in the Big Ten tournament against 1-seed Michigan, but they played excellent basketball down the stretch. Ohio State enters this matchup with TCU as the favorite with a potential clash against Duke on their minds. The Buckeyes are led by top-scorer Bruce Thornton, who averages over 20 points per game. They'll need his offensive capabilities to win against a very strong defensive team like TCU.
This matchup is a brutal draw for both teams, who likely could have made quick work of all of the other 8 and 9 seeds. Instead, one of them must go home and the other gets to face the top overall seed in Duke. When put to that test, TCU has a slight edge having played a more battle-tested schedule in the Big-12, the nation's toughest conference. Expect this one to be relatively low-scoring, with the Horned Frogs ultimately winning.
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Pick
TCU Horned Frogs (+120)
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