TCU basketball rides a hot stretch into Manhattan to face Kansas State as David Punch and Xavier Edmonds lead a Big 12 surge.
TCU basketball is heating up at exactly the right time, and Saturday night in Manhattan feels like another swing game in the Horned Frogs’ late-season push.
Jamie Dixon’s squad has won seven of its last 10 games, including five of the past six, and now heads to Kansas State for a 5:30 p.m. CT showdown on ESPN2.
With the Big 12 standings tightening, every possession suddenly carries postseason weight.
The identity of this TCU team is becoming crystal clear ... rebound, defend, and pressure the ball. The Horned Frogs have outrebounded opponents in six straight games, owning a plus-6.8 margin over that stretch.
They rank 27th nationally in defensive efficiency (98.8, per KenPom) and sit near the top of the Big 12 in steals (7.8 per game), blocks (4.8), and turnovers forced (13.8).
Sophomore David Punch continues to anchor both ends of the floor. He leads TCU in scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounds (6.6 rpg) while averaging 2.1 blocks per game, second in the Big 12 and 21st nationally.
Punch is one of only two players nationally putting up at least 13.5 points, 6.0 boards, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal, and 2.0 blocks per game.
But the Frogs aren’t a one-man show. Xavier Edmonds has elevated his game in conference play, averaging 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in the Big 12, a noticeable jump from his nonconference production.
His eight double-doubles this season are the most by a Frog since Kevin Samuel in 2020. And let’s not forget his 26-point, 10-rebound explosion in TCU’s 84-82 comeback win over Kansas State earlier this month, when the Frogs erased an 18-point deficit.
Point guard Brock Harding quietly drives the engine. His 5.9 assists per game rank third in the conference, and he’s also fifth in steals (1.75).
Add in Liutauras Lelevicius shooting 46.9 percent from 3-point range in Big 12 play and Micah Robinson’s recent surge - TCU is 4-1 since he entered the starting lineup - and this group suddenly looks balanced and dangerous.
Kansas State (11-17, 2-13 Big 12) counters with All-American PJ Haggerty, whose 23.5 points per game rank third nationally.
The Wildcats also average 9.5 made threes per contest, so perimeter defense will be critical.
A win would give TCU another Big 12 series sweep and tie the program’s single-season conference win mark. With No. 16 Texas Tech looming next, the Frogs know the margin for error is thin - but right now, they’re playing like a team that believes.