TCU Horned Frogs vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, 3/19/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: TCU Horned Frogs vs Ohio State Buckeyes

Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026

Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: TCU (+3)

The TCU Horned Frogs (22-11) are traveling to Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Thursday where they will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (21-12) in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State opens as 3-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total has been set at 146.

The TCU Horned Frogs stepped onto the hardwood against Kansas and went home with a loss by a final score of 78-73 in their last contest. When talking about personal fouls, the Horned Frogs ended up walking away with 23 and Kansas recorded 13 personal fouls. They buried 4 out of their 17 tries from three-point range. Kansas ended up going 81.1% when shooting free throws by making 30 of their 37 shots. Additionally, Kansas grabbed 38 rebounds (9 offensive, 29 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Kansas doled out 8 assists and had 8 steals in this contest. In reference to defense, TCU allowed 37.9% from the field on 22 of 58 shooting. They also distributed 10 assists for the contest as well as forcing 9 turnovers and getting 4 steals. With respect to grabbing boards, they earned 36 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Horned Frogs made 14 of their 18 tries for a percentage of 77.8%. TCU ended the game with a 39.1% FG percentage (25 out of 64) and converted 9 out of their 25 3-pointers.

David Punch is a guy who was a major factor for the matchup. He recorded 24 points on 8 out of 15 shooting. He saw the court for 34 mins and grabbed 10 rebounds. He shot 53.3% from the floor and also recorded 1 assist.

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TCU steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 22-11 for the season. They are averaging 78.3 pts per contest (114th in college) while going 44.8% from the field. The Horned Frogs are connecting on 33.1% from downtown (244 of 737) and 70.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, TCU is snagging 36.2 boards per game and has totaled 516 assists so far this season, which is 70th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 10.9 times per game and as a squad they commit 16.3 fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Horned Frogs are forcing 13.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.0 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 337th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 522 relinquished so far this year. The Horned Frogs defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 44.6% (856 of 1,920) and they surrender 33.5 rebounds per game as a group. They concede 33.7% from 3-point land while they are 126th in college hoops in opponents points per game (72.1).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Ohio State Buckeyes took a loss by a final score of 71-67 against Michigan. The Buckeyes corralled 21 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 30 in the game. They gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while earning 6 steals in the matchup. Michigan had 16 personal fouls for this game which took the Buckeyes to the free throw line for a total of 18 shots. They were able to convert 15 of the free throws for a percentage of 83.3%. With regard to shots from beyond the arc, Ohio State made 8 of their 24 tries (33.3%). When the final whistle was blown, the Buckeyes finished 22 for 58 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 37.9%. The Buckeyes allowed Michigan to convert 24 of their 53 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 45.3% for this game. They shot 29.4% from downtown by shooting 5 out of 17 and walked away from this one shooting 18 out of 24 at the charity stripe (75.0%). In relation to rebounds, Ohio State allowed Michigan to get 31 in total (6 on the offensive glass).

Bruce Thornton was important for the Buckeyes for the game. He accumulated 20 points in his 39 mins on the court and had 4 dimes for the contest. He converted 6 out of 14 for the game for a field goal rate of 42.9%, and tallied 3 rebounds.

Ohio State has a record of 21-12 this year. As an offensive unit, the Buckeyes are shooting 49.3% from the floor, which is 19th in the nation. Ohio State has totaled 2,633 points for the year (79.8 per game) and they pull in 33.2 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 14.4 times per game (137th in the nation) and they are turning it over 10.4 times per game. The Buckeyes commit 17.7 fouls per game and they shoot 77.5% from the free throw line.

The Ohio State defense surrenders 31.6% on 3-pointers (242 of 765) and opponents are converting on 74.3% of their free throw shots. They surrender 13.5 dimes and 31.2 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 190th and 29th in D-1. The Buckeyes on the defensive side of the court are 146th in D-1 in points allowed per game with 72.8. They are able to force 10.6 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.9% from the field (163rd in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take TCU (+3)

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