TCU basketball makes another statement with big win over Wisconsin in San Diego
TCU men’s basketball made a statement to the nation this week, claiming the Rady Children’s Invitational championship with an impressive 74-63 victory over Wisconsin on Friday in San Diego.
That win came a day after the Horned Frogs (5-2) stunned defending national champion and No. 10-ranked Florida 84-80 in their first game of the tournament, winning as 11.5-point underdogs.
Wisconsin (5-2) was a preseason Top 25 team and entered the title game favored by as many as 6.5 points. But it didn’t take long for TCU to take control of the game, leading wire-to-wire.
TCU junior guard Brock Harding, a transfer from Iowa, was named the tournament MVP after recording 16 points, four rebounds and five assists against the Badgers.
“I think this is a momentum shift for us,” Harding said on the TV broadcast. “We know that if we do what we need to do on the court and practice every single day, there are no limits to what this team can do. “
The game wasn’t without stress. After leading by double digits most of the second half, the Horned Frogs needed to buckle down in the final four minutes to preserve the win.
After TCU took a 65-46 lead, Wisconsin went on a 12-3 run to cut the deficit to 68-58 with 4:03 remaining. The Badgers would get even closer after a turnover by Micah Robinson led to a Wisconsin layup that cut it to 70-63 with 2:09 remaining.
With the offense struggling to find a rhythm, the Horned Frogs fed forward David Punch, and the sophomore delivered the dagger with a two-handed dunk over multiple Badgers to make it 72-63 with 1:40 remaining. Punch scored a team-high 17 points, and five Horned Frogs scored in double figures.
Punch and Harding followed up their impressive performances against Florida with two more strong showings against the Badgers. Harding had 19 points and 12 assists against the Gators, and Punch had 19 points and nine rebounds.
Harding has been known for more for his assists this season, but he operated more as a scorer against a Wisconsin team he’s very familiar with from his time at Iowa.
Harding scored eight of his 16 points in the first half as he got into the lane multiple times for crucial buckets. His confidence as a scorer has been on the rise the past few games, and TCU needed his scoring punch Friday.
Punch was even better, as he continues to make the case for being one of the most improved players in the Big 12. He threw down a dunk, knocked down a 3 and controlled the paint with 11 first-half points as TCU led 34-20 at one point.
The Badgers would storm back behind John Blackwell, who scored 21 points in the first half to keep Wisconsin in the game. Blackwell scored 15 of Wisconsin’s final 17 points in the first half as it was able to cut TCU’s lead to 41-37 at halftime.
Punch, Harding and Xavier Edmonds led a 12-3 run to start the second half to put the Horned Frogs back ahead by double digits until the final minutes.
The win was significant for TCU in multiple ways. It could give TCU another valuable win for its NCAA Tournament resume, along with the victory over Florida.
It also helps erase the sting of the season-opening upset to New Orleans, which hasn’t aged well with the Privateers going 0-3 against their other high-major opponents. But the Horned Frogs are a much different team than the one that played New Orleans, and they’ve found a new identity after starting center Malick Diallo injured his ACL and was lost for the season.
The two-game performance in San Diego also serves as a message that TCU basketball is headed back in the right direction after missing the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2021.
There’s more work to do in nonconference with games against Notre Dame and North Texas remaining, but the Horned Frogs have put themselves on the right track to get back into March Madness even with the loss to New Orleans.
TCU will next host the Fighting Irish at 7 p.m. Dec. 5.
This story was originally published November 28, 2025 at 7:22 PM.
