Trazarien White, Noah Reynolds lead TCU men’s basketball in upset over No. 9 Texas Tech
TCU picked the perfect time to add a signature win to its NCAA Tournament resume with a 69-66 victory over No. 9 Texas Tech on Tuesday night at Schollmaier Arena.
The Horned Frogs avenged their 71-57 loss on Jan. 21 in Lubbock in front of former TCU legend Desmond Bane — who had his jersey retired at halftime — in a breakout game by Trazarien White off the bench and with another clutch shot from Noah Reynolds.
“It was a great night for TCU basketball,” head coach Jamie Dixon said. “Great win for us, we’re a team that is getting better and figuring things out.”
White scored a team-high 16 points, his first double-digit game since Jan. 4, and also made a key stop defensively for TCU with less than 60 seconds remaining.
“It felt amazing,” White said of his performance. “This has probably been the hardest year basketball wise. It’s just a new system, a new fit, new coaches, new players. Everything’s new, I knew coming in it would take a little adjustment period, but I’m feeling more confident. I think we’re starting to understand each other.”
Reynolds added 16 points, while Ernest Udeh had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
With TCU leading 66-63 with 39 seconds remaining in the game, TCU needed one shot to put the game away, and Reynolds delivered again just days after hitting a clutch 3-pointer in the win over Arizona State. Reynolds got stuck in the lane, but still managed to hit a turnaround jumper with 11 seconds remaining that made it 68-63.
“He’s been clutch, there’s nothing else you can say,” White said. “He was talking about the other day if we’re the most clutch team, but he’s been coming up big in every moment.”
Texas Tech’s Chance McMillan responded with a desperate 3 that cut TCU’s lead to 68-66 with 5.7 seconds remaining. The Horned Frogs almost threw a turnover on the inbound, but Reynolds secured the pass and was fouled. Reynolds only made one free throw, but the Red Raiders’ last second 3 was blocked by freshman David Punch.
The Horned Frogs led most of the game, but had to hold off multiple surges by the Red Raiders. Texas Tech had two stretches where they outscored TCU a combined 15-0 to cut into TCU’s lead in the second half.
After leading by as many as 10 points, the Horned Frogs led 64-63 with 3:46 remaining in the game.
Forward Darrion Williams was a catalyst for the Red Raiders’ comeback as a the senior forward did everything for Texas Tech while leading scorer JT Toppin was kept in check by the Horned Frogs. Williams scored 11 of his 21 points in the second half, including knocking down a 3-pointer and a bucket in the paint. He also handed out three assists.
The final three minutes were a defensive struggle as both teams went nearly three minutes without scoring. A pair of Reynolds’ free throws gave TCU a 66-63 edge, but despite multiple attempts at the rim, the Horned Frogs couldn’t add to the lead.
After a missed shot by Reynolds with 1:10 remaining, TCU came up with the biggest stop of the game when White walled off Williams on the post and Ernest Udeh forced a loose ball on a pass to Toppin. The resulting scrum led to a shot-clock violation, and that’s when Reynolds delivered the dagger.
TCU entered Tuesday with just a 7% chance of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi. But a top-10 win and the second straight Quad-1 victory could be enough to get TCU in the bubble conversation for the tournament.
The Horned Frogs have won five of their last six games and are starting to play their best basketball at the best time.
This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 9:34 PM.
