INSTANT REACTION: TCU upsets Kansas in Big 12 Quarterfinals

I can’t believe I am seriously writing about this, but it really happened! The 8th seeded TCU Horned Frogs moved on to face the number 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks after demolishing Oklahoma 82-63 on Wednesday night. Kansas was without their star stud freshman Josh Jackson after he was suspended for not reporting to court after a traffic incident…..and oh boy did that hurt them. Now don’t get me wrong, one player doesn’t make a team but having Jacksons for today’s game would have definitely helped Kansas.

It also didn’t disturb TCU that they were basically playing down the road from Kansas’ campus. So it was basically a home game for Kansas and it made it even that harder for them to hold that lead for the game. The game was back and forth in the first half with TCU clinging to a one point lead at 43-42 as the first half buzzer rang. Then when the second half started TCU came out hot and firing on all cylinders. The Horned Frogs actually had an 11-point lead on the Jayhawks at one point in the second half. The eighth-seeded Horned Frogs trailed 80-76 with just over a minute remaining, but a parade of free throws knotted it at 80-80, and Alex Robinson’s driving layup gave TCU the lead at 82-80!

Kansas’ superstar Frank Mason answered with a pair of free throws for Kansas to tie the game at 82-82, but the Horned Frogs got the ball back down the court quickly and dumped to Desmond Bane in the corner and he was fouled by Kansas’ Svi Mykhailiuk while putting up a shot from behind the three-point arch. So this resulted in Bane getting three shots at the line for the lead with 2.5 seconds left, and long story short, he sunk all three like a pro! Then, Devonte Graham’s tying 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced harmlessly off the rim, and the Horned Frogs leaped off their bench to celebrate a massive upset of the tournament’s No. 1 seed!

BIG Momentum Swingers (Coach’s version):

When the Jayhawks built a 39-27 lead late in the first half, because of Mykhailiuk’s hot shooting and Mason’s ability to get to the rim, it disappeared after TCU’s coach Jamie Dixon got a technical foul. Dixon yelled across the court at one of the officials after Lagerald Vick’s basket gave the Jayhawks their biggest lead of the game. Mason extended the advantage with two free throws, but it seemed as if the Horned Frogs began to channel Dixon’s intensity down the stretch and use that against Kansas. TCU closed the half on a 16-3 run, highlighted by a trio of 3-pointers, and held a 43-42 lead into the locker room.

Then early in the second half, it was Bill Self’s turn to boil over. He took umbrage to a goaltending call that gave TCU a basket and refused to back down even when Mykhailiuk tried to distract the official! But it didn’t have the same effect as Dixon’s rant did, at least right away. The Horned Frogs instead stretched their lead to 60-49 with 13:55 left in the game. The Jayhawks finally went on their run a few minutes later with Mason getting it started with a four-point play and then finishing it with a driving layup that gave Kansas a 71-70 lead.

When TCU’s Kenrich Williams fouled out with 3:12 to go, the Jayhawks looked poised to finish the game off with a win. Instead, the Horned Frogs showed remarkable composure in the Jayhawks’ home-away-from-home. When the buzzer rang to mark the Horned Frogs extraordinary upset, this meant that the tournament’s top seed was done in the quarterfinals for the first time in seven years.

Big Picture

TCU showed outstanding endurance during this whole entire game. Most teams would have given up after blowing that 11-point lead, especially to Kansas, I mean when they come back from a double-digit deficit they can’t be stopped. Huge credit goes to their entire team to never giving up, you also can’t forget Jamie Dixon who coached them beautifully! All around it was a fantastic game by the Horned Frogs and they will use that momentum in their next game against Iowa State.