Former SLCC Bruin lifts TCU Past Ohio State in NCAA Tournament

GREENVILLE, South Carolina – Junior forward Xavier Edmonds already has his March Madness moment after his bucket in the final seconds lifted No. 9 TCU into the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 66-64 win over Ohio State.

The former Salt Lake Community College star capped off a spectacular NCAA tournament debut when he calmly split a double-team with 4.1 seconds left for the game-winner.

“I had to get the ball in the basket,” Edmonds said postgame while acknowledging the pass from teammate David Punch. “Punch made a great pass, put me in the right position to score. I went up, and I scored it!”

TCU’s Xavier Edmonds gets the bucket with 4.1 seconds left! #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/Y1ohaJJ1W3

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 19, 2026

The Torrance, California native, was a rebounding force down the stretch, making his presence known in the post despite picking up his fourth foul with more than eight minutes to play.

He finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, including six on the offensive end, and three assists.

Edmonds game-winner comes after a year of blossoming under Horned Frogs head coach Jamie Dixon.

Who is Xavier Edwards?

Before signing with SLCC and former Bruin head coach Kyle Taylor for the 2023-24 season, Edmonds was a standout player at Bishop Montgomery High School.

He scored more than 1,000 points in his prep career while earning recognition as the No. 29 prep recruit in California and was 206th nationwide.

This dude was playing JUCO last season.

Xavier Edmonds’ story is special. pic.twitter.com/6NTGCx0wfv

— Nick Girimonte (@GirimonteNicky) March 19, 2026

Edmonds averaged 14 points and 7.4 rebounds as a freshman at SLCC. His play helped the Bruins reach the second round of the 2024 NJCAA Division 1 Championship.

He took a leap as a sophomore under former UNLV head coach Dave Rice.

The 6’8″ athlete became the No. 1 JUCO player in the country according to JUCOrecruiting.com. Edmonds was named First Team All-Scenic West Athletic Conference after averaging 19.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 28 games.

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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24. 

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