TCU trailed by as many as 18 points in the victory.
From what felt like a bone-crushiWhat once felt like a bone-crushing loss turned into a remarkable comeback for the TCU Horned Frogs. After falling victim to two come-from-behind losses earlier in conference play, the Frogs finally flipped the script, rallying from an 18-point deficit to defeat the Kansas State Wildcats 84–82.
On the outside of the tournament field looking in, TCU needed a win against the reeling Wildcats. Yet, much like its most recent outing (an 87–61 loss to the Colorado Buffaloes), the Frogs came out flat. Kansas State jumped out to a quick 8–2 lead just three minutes into the game and continued to build its advantage, buoyed by lights-out shooting from reserve forward Marcus Johnson. Johnson hit three triples in a two-minute span to push the Wildcats ahead 19–6.
Not long after, another Johnson three-pointer gave the Wildcats a 17-point advantage less than 10 minutes into the game. TCU looked out of sorts offensively, struggling to generate any rhythm until the final minutes of the half. Down 18 with 4:55 remaining, Jayden Pierre knocked down two free throws to chip away at the lead before a Micah Robinson triple finally jump-started TCU’s offense. The Frogs closed the first half on an 18–4 run, with Xavier Edmonds and Robinson leading the charge.
TCU scored the first three points of the second half to cut the deficit to one, but couldn’t take the lead. Kansas State remained in front and always seemed to have an answer for any TCU scoring burst. Powered by former Horned Frog PJ Haggerty, the Wildcats stayed ahead for much of the final frame and even stretched the lead back to double digits with 7:48 remaining.
From there, getting to the free-throw line fueled TCU’s comeback as the Frogs’ attacking offense began to pay off. An Edmonds layup with 2:32 remaining cut Kansas State’s lead to three, but after a few missed chances, a dunk by Khamari McGriff pushed the Wildcats back ahead by five with a minute and a half to play. On the ensuing possession, Edmonds was fouled and knocked down both free throws to trim the deficit to three once again.
With a chance to extend the lead, Kansas State’s Haggerty was called for traveling, giving the ball back to TCU. Brock Harding then connected with Edmonds on an alley-oop that brought the Frogs within one. With a foul to give, TCU turned up the defensive pressure and forced another Wildcats turnover. Edmonds was fouled again on the other end and converted both free throws, giving TCU its first lead of the game, 83–82.
Haggerty turned the ball over on the next possession, allowing Robinson to seal the game at the line. Robinson split a pair of free throws to make it 84–82, and Kansas State’s last-second heave fell short as TCU secured the comeback victory and kept its tournament hopes alive.
Haggerty finished with 30 points for the Wildcats on 14-of-24 shooting, but Edmonds wasn’t far behind. The TCU big man scored 26 on 9-of-10 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds, notching his fourth consecutive double-double. Alongside Haggerty, Nate Johnson added 13 points and 11 assists, while Marcus Johnson scored 15 points on five three-pointers off the bench. Robinson followed Edmonds in scoring for the Frogs with 16 points and six rebounds.
Kansas State shot 52.3 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc, but attempted just eight free throws compared to TCU’s 36. The Horned Frogs converted only 22 of those attempts but still outscored Kansas State by 17 at the line. TCU also won the rebounding battle 40–25, leading to 19 second-chance points.
Most remarkably, TCU led for just six seconds the entire game.
Up next, the Horned Frogs host No. 7 Iowa State, which has won six straight against TCU. The two Big 12 foes will tip off at 8:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, February 10.
Category: General Sports
