Edmonds’ career-high double-double ignited TCU's furious 18-point comeback, stunning Kansas State with late-game heroics and gritty rebounding.
TCU men’s basketball delivered one of its grittiest wins of the season Saturday, erasing a massive deficit to outlast the Kansas State Wildcats 84-82 at Schollmaier Arena.
Junior Xavier Edmonds was the catalyst, pouring in a career-high 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Horned Frogs stormed back from 18 down.
Edmonds’ double-double was his fifth straight, the longest streak by a TCU player since 2017, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
TCU leaned heavily on second-chance opportunities and physical play, winning the rebounding battle 40-25 on a day when the offense had to grind. The Horned Frogs struggled from 3-point range and at the free-throw line, but their work on the glass kept them within striking distance.
Wearing “Texas Christian” jerseys in a nod to the program’s 1986 Southwest Conference team, TCU found itself in serious trouble early. Kansas State controlled the first half and stretched the lead to 40-22, fueled by eight made 3-pointers.
The Wildcats carried a 46-42 advantage into halftime, but momentum had quietly begun to shift after an 18-4 TCU run to close the half.
The second half followed a similar script. Kansas State again built a double-digit lead, going up 78-68 with just over five minutes remaining. From there, everything flipped.
Defensive pressure forced turnovers, and Edmonds took over offensively, scoring six of TCU’s final seven points. His 9-of-10 shooting night was a study in efficiency under pressure.
David Punch added 14 points and six rebounds and delivered the game’s defining moment by forcing a turnover in the final seconds.
Micah Robinson chipped in 16 points, while Jayden Pierre finished with 10. Kansas State’s PJ Haggerty led all scorers with 30 points, but the Wildcats went scoreless down the stretch as TCU closed it out.
With the win, TCU Horned Frogs improved to 14-9 overall and 10-5 at home. The Horned Frogs now turn their attention to a major test Tuesday night when No. 7 Iowa State visits Fort Worth.