Despite leading by as many as 16 points in the second half against the 22nd-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, the TCU Horned Frogs walked off the floor with a loss after a myriad of late-game blunders proved costly.
TCU played like the better team for roughly 35 of the 45-minute-long overtime contest, setting the tone from the opening tip. Kansas struck first, but the Frogs quickly seized control behind a Jayden Pierre three-pointer. A Bryson Tiller layup briefly put the Jayhawks back in front with 15:14 remaining, though the lead lasted just 10 seconds before Xavier Edmonds knocked down a triple to give TCU the edge once again.
Advertisement
The Horned Frogs held the advantage for most of the first half and didn’t relinquish it until the 1:50 mark, when Darryn Peterson scored at the rim. A Tre White bucket followed by two more points from Peterson sent Kansas into the break with a five-point cushion. If there was any silver lining, it’s that the Frogs shot just 32 percent compared to the Jayhawks’ 54 percent mark from the floor in the first half and were still just down by five.
Kansas’ lead, however, didn’t last long. TCU came out of halftime on fire, scoring the first six points of the half to take a one-point lead with 17:54 remaining. The Jayhawks answered to regain the advantage, and the two teams went back and forth, combining for 17 points in a two-minute stretch.
But after a Peterson and-one, TCU began its second-half takeover. With Kansas clinging to a 50–49 lead, the Horned Frogs rattled off 10 straight points to open up a nine-point cushion.
Between an efficient offense and a clamping defense, TCU built a 16-point advantage by the 11:32 mark and appeared to be firmly in control, maintaining a double-digit lead over the next eight minutes. That control began to slip around the four-minute mark. Leading by 13, the Horned Frogs shifted into keep-away mode rather than continuing to attack, and as Kansas increased the pressure, the points began to pour in.
Advertisement
The Jayhawks cut the deficit to three following a Melvin Council Jr. and-one with just over 30 seconds remaining. After getting the ball back, Brock Harding was fouled but missed the front-end of a one-and-one in the final minute for the second straight time. Kansas then missed a game-tying three before fouling Liutauras Lelevicius, who knocked down both free throws to give TCU a five-point lead with 12 seconds to play.
On the ensuing possession, Flory Bidunga converted a tip-in to pull Kansas within three. With five seconds left, Harding’s inbounds pass intended for David Punch bounced out of bounds—a call that stood despite a Jamie Dixon challenge. Kansas inbounded from TCU’s side of the floor, finding Bidunga on a skip pass, who then dished to Peterson with two seconds remaining. As Peterson launched a desperation heave, Jace Posey reached in and fouled him, sending the potential No. 1 overall pick to the line. Peterson calmly drained all three free throws to tie the game.
With 1.7 seconds left and no timeouts remaining, Harding launched a Hail Mary in search of a last-second look, but the pass was airmailed. Kansas got one final chance to win it, but Peterson’s open three rimmed out, sending the game to overtime.
With Allen Fieldhouse rocking, the Jayhawks began overtime with the upper hand. Even without Peterson, who watched from the sidelines with wraps around both quads, Kansas took an early lead and never relinquished it. The Jayhawks pushed ahead by six with 1:07 remaining, but TCU wasn’t finished. Pierre’s three-pointer cut the lead to three, and after a White dunk, Harding hit another triple to make it a two-point game by the 33-second mark.
Advertisement
Council Jr. was fouled and made only one of two free throws, giving the Horned Frogs a chance to tie at 100. However, a bad inbound pass from Pierre was intercepted by Council Jr., who sank both free throws to extend Kansas’ lead to five. Pierre added another three-pointer to cut it to two, but Kansas made two more free throws with under 10 seconds left to seal a 104–100 victory, avoiding a 0–2 start in the Big 12.
The Jayhawks shot 52 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range, and made 30 of 40 free throws en route to 104 points. TCU was 47 percent from the floor and hit a season-high 15 three-pointers at 43 percent.
Peterson led the Jayhawks with 32 points in 32 minutes, going 8-of-18 from the floor and scoring most of his points from the free throw line (13-of-15). White added 22, while Council Jr. contributed 18 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.
Advertisement
TCU had five players reach double figures, led by Lelevicius’s career-high 23 points. Punch recorded 20 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks but struggled from the free throw line, making just 4-of-9 attempts. Pierre and Robinson each added 16 points, while Edmonds scored 11 before fouling out.
Next up, TCU will return to Fort Worth to host the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, January 10 at 3:00 p.m. CT.
