The Ohio State basketball team is dancing for the first time in four years. After years of being on the bubble and being disappointed on Selection Sunday, the Buckeyes are finally happy. They get to take on the TCU Horned Frogs in the first round of the tournament.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the eight-seed in that 8/9 matchup. After taking down Iowa and losing to Michigan in successive Big Ten Tournament games, they finally get a shot to play in March Madness. The winner of this game will very likely get to take on Duke.
Oddsmakers don't love Ohio State's chances of making a Cinderella run to the Final Four in Indianapolis. Beating the Blue Devils would certainly be a tall task. Still, Vegas does seem to like the Buckeyes' chances of taking down the Horned Frogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Ohio State basketball team is favored over TCU in the NCAA Tournament
According to DraftKings, the Buckeyes are 2.5-point favorites over the Horned Frogs. They are -198 to win on the moneyline. The over/under sits at 147.5 points, as well. With the seeding the way that it is, this is seen as a coin-flip type of matchup.
What helps the Buckeyes is that this game is being played in Buffalo. There should be more fans for Ohio State at this matchup than there will be for TCU, considering they are in the Dallas area. That little bit of extra fanfare could give them a much-needed boost in the first game Ohio State has played in the Tournament in four years.
Ohio State fans will be happy to see their team playing in the Big Dance for the first time in the Jake Diebler era, even if it ends up being short-lived. It will still be worth it to watch Bruce Thornton get to experience the NCAA Tournament before his legendary Ohio State career comes to an end.