TCU drops fourth in a row as Kansas claims share of Big 12 title again
TCU took another step backward in pursuit of an at-large berth in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Wednesday, falling to No. 3 Kansas 87-68 in Allen Fieldhouse.
The Horned Frogs (17-11, 6-9) dropped their fourth consecutive game, matching their longest skid of the season, on a night when the Jayhawks (25-3, 13-2 in Big 12) secured at least a share of their 13th consecutive Big 12 championship. TCU, a bubble team in recent NCAA bracket projections after being touted as high as a No. 8 seed two weeks ago, received a team-high 15 points from guard Alex Robinson. Jaylen Fisher (11 points) and J.D. Miller (10) joined Robinson in double figures for TCU.
The Frogs pushed the Jayhawks for the first 30 minutes before KU pulled away down the stretch to give themselves a three-game lead in the conference standings with three games remaining in the regular season. The teams swapped the lead 10 times in the first half, and 12 times overall, before Kansas took control with an 8-0 run during the early part of the second half to secure their first of multiple double-digit leads down the stretch.
TCU forward Vladimir Brodziansky, who scored 28 points during the teams’ first meeting in Fort Worth, was limited to eight points in Wednesday’s rematch.
TCU can re-energize its NCAA hopes with its next two games in Fort Worth against No. 12 West Virginia (Saturday) and Kansas State (March 1). The Frogs close the regular season March 4 at Oklahoma, with the Sooners (9-18, 3-12) holding down the bottom spot in the Big 12 standings.
TCU (17-11): Brodziansky 4-11 0-0 8, Miller 2-10 5-6 10, K.Williams 3-8 0-0 6, Fisher 4-11 0-0 11, Robinson 6-11 1-2 15, Washburn 2-3 0-2 4, Sottile 0-0 0-0 0, Shepherd 1-3 0-0 2, Dry 0-0 0-0 0, J.Parrish 0-1 0-0 0, Bane 3-6 0-0 6, M.Williams 0-1 0-0 0, B.Parrish 2-4 2-2 6. Totals 27-69 8-12 68.
KANSAS (25-3): Lucas 2-5 3-4 7, Mason 6-12 4-7 20, Graham 4-10 6-6 17, Mykhailiuk 2-6 0-0 6, Jackson 6-11 2-4 15, Bragg 7-10 1-3 15, Coleby 1-1 0-0 2, Lightfoot 0-0 0-0 0, Vang 0-0 0-0 0, Vick 1-5 1-1 3, Young 0-0 2-2 2, Self 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-61 19-27 87.
Halftime—Kansas 40-39. 3-Point Goals—TCU 6-23 (Fisher 3-5, Robinson 2-4, Miller 1-6, J.Parrish 0-1, Bane 0-1, Brodziansky 0-1, B.Parrish 0-2, K.Williams 0-3), Kansas 10-23 (Mason 4-6, Graham 3-7, Mykhailiuk 2-4, Jackson 1-2, Self 0-1, Vick 0-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—TCU 33 (K.Williams 12), Kansas 39 (Jackson 11). Assists—TCU 16 (K.Williams, Robinson 4), Kansas 19 (Graham 7). Total Fouls—TCU 20, Kansas 14. A—16,300 (16,300).
This story was originally published February 22, 2017 at 8:28 PM with the headline "TCU drops fourth in a row as Kansas claims share of Big 12 title again."