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Jalen Rose trolls Ohio State after NCAA Tournament exit, calls Miami the best team in Ohio
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Jalen Rose is a proud Michigan Wolverine. So the former member of the school’s “Fab Five” in the early 1990s couldn’t resist a dig at the university’s archrival after a one-and-done appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
In a nailbiter to start a Day One slate, ninth-seeded TCU used a late bucket to knock off eighth-seeded Ohio State 66-64 in Greenville. That made the Buckeyes’ first NCAA appearance since 2022 a short stay.
Ohio State isn’t the only team from Ohio in the Big Dance, of course. In fact, about two hours west of Columbus, Miami (Ohio) has received a much bigger spotlight after a perfect regular season. While some thought a subsequent loss in the MAC quarterfinals should have precluded the RedHawks’ first NCAA trip since 2007, they received an at-large bid. They’ll face sixth-seeded Tennessee on Friday in Philadelphia after beating SMU in the First Four.
After Ohio State’s loss, Rose, who’s part of the studio team for TNT Sports and CBS Sports’ joint March Madness coverage, didn’t need much of an invitation to poke fun at the Buckeyes after being set up by host Adam Lefkoe.
“It’s only right that they’re the second-best basketball program in their own state. So why don’t we just call Miami ‘THE Miami University’?” Rose joked.
As for Michigan, the top-seeded Wolverines went into halftime with a slim 50-46 lead against 16th-seeded Howard in Buffalo. We’ll see if they step on the gas in the second half and keep Rose in a good mood.