TCU basketball surges late to beat Oklahoma State 95-88 in the Big 12 Tournament and now faces No. 14 Kansas in a high-stakes quarterfinal rematch.
The TCU Horned Frogs are moving on in the Big 12 Tournament after a gritty 95-88 win over Oklahoma State, setting up a highly anticipated quarterfinal showdown against No. 14 Kansas.
The Frogs didn’t make it easy on themselves.
Oklahoma State came out sharp in the opening half, jumping ahead early and controlling the pace for much of the first 20 minutes.
The Cowboys built a 23-16 lead midway through the first half and maintained the advantage heading into the locker room with a 46-43 edge.
The pressure didn’t let up after halftime.
Oklahoma State stretched its lead to 67-57 with 13:48 remaining, putting TCU in danger of an early exit from the tournament.
But the Horned Frogs responded with the type of late-game surge that has defined several of their biggest wins this season.
TCU chipped away at the deficit and eventually pulled within one point at 82-81 with just over five minutes left.
From there, execution took over. The Horned Frogs dominated the closing stretch, outscoring Oklahoma State 14-6 over the final five minutes to secure the victory and advance to the quarterfinals.
Leading the charge was David Punch, who poured in 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds, delivering a standout performance when TCU needed it most.
Tanner Toolson provided a major spark off the bench with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Xavier Edmonds recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.
Now the challenge intensifies as TCU will face Kansas, a team projected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, in a rematch of an earlier-season thriller.
When the teams met on Jan. 6, the Frogs held a 15-point lead late in regulation before Kansas rallied to win in overtime.
Head coach Jamie Dixon believes his team is far more prepared this time around.
If TCU can deliver another strong performance, the Frogs could boost their NCAA Tournament seeding while also rewriting the script against one of the Big 12’s toughest programs.