Former Ohio State basketball player Mark Titus slammed fans for being only occasional college basketball followers during NCAA March Madness and for unnecessarily criticizing how the defeat to the TCU Horned Frogs unfolded on March 19, 2026. Titus was a walk-on player for the Buckeyes under the tutelage of Thad Matta and now continues to be associated with the game as a podcast host and author.
Mark Titus Slams Ohio State Fans After March Madness Loss to TCU
The Ohio State Buckeyes had a mixed season in 2025-26 despite being a team with first-rate players. They alternated between impressive wins and unexpected losses, finishing as a middle-tier Big Ten team rather than a title contender. They couldn’t pave their way directly into NCAA March Madness, but earned an at-large bid to secure a spot.
In Jake Diebler’s second season at the helm of the Buckeyes, he saw the team lose to the TCU Horned Frogs, 66-64, and exit the 68-team field sooner than expected. It was a tight contest that came down to the final seconds. TCU held a 15-point halftime lead, but early in the second half, the advantage began to shrink until a layup from Amare Bynum gave Ohio State the lead.
At the end of the game, the Buckeyes’ Bruce Thornton attempted a half-court heave that hit off the backboard as the buzzer sounded while the Horned Frogs had already begun celebrating. After the loss, fans couldn’t contain hurling heated words at Diebler and criticizing how the game unfolded.
The situation didn’t sit well with former Buckeyes player Titus, now a podcaster and author, who used strong words to claim that Buckeyes basketball fans only show up during NCAA March Madness instead of being around throughout the year. He also said that many fans don’t even know the players’ names and simply look at the rankings before commenting.
“We have the worst fans in the world, Ohio State. Ohio State basketball fans are the worst fans in the world. They’re the worst. They’re literally the worst. They watch football all year; they don’t even pay attention to the basketball program. They, like, parachute in around, like, late January, early February. They look up the rankings, and if we’re not ranked in the top 10, they’re just like, ‘Everything sucks, fire everybody. This is terrible.’ They have no idea what they’re talking about,” he said on “Mostly Hoops With Mark Titus & Co.”
He added:
“Fans are invested in the program, and people are coming to the games, and the people are, like, studying the recruits and like, fucking, they pour their passion into this. They don’t just, like, pop in and say, like, ‘Oh, we’re in the tournament? Okay, I’ll watch that. I’ll sit down and watch this game.’ And then we lose the game. And you’re like, ‘Fire the coach.’ It’s absurd.”
Coming into the game, Ohio State was favored by 2.5 points against the Horned Frogs, having won four of its last five outings. The Bucks had players like Thornton, who averaged 20.2 points per game on 40.0% from 3-point range and 55.8% from the floor.
On the other hand, the Horned Frogs had more rebounds per game, meaning they had to keep the opponent scorers in check if they had to advance to the second round. Now that they’ve delivered, despite being a weaker shooting team than the Bucks, they’ll face the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils on March 21.
