Three takeaways from TCU men’s basketball game vs. No. 10 Houston — PHOTOS
TCU men’s basketball ran out of gas in its showdown with No. 10 Houston as the Horned Frogs fell 79-70 Wednesday night at Schollmaier Arena.
“Extremely disappointed by the loss,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “We just didn’t get it done. We had opportunities, but coming close is not good enough. Simply put we could’ve done things better, we could’ve won the game.”
It was a frustrating second half for TCU (13-8, 3-5 Big 12), as the Horned Frogs cut a 15-point deficit to 56-54 with 8:59 remaining.
But as the game got close, Houston (18-2, 6-1) showed why it’s become one of the best college basketball programs in the country, as the Cougars leaned on freshman star Kingston Flemings to pull away.
Flemings was aggressive in getting downhill and drew multiple fouls that led to six straight free throws for the point guard. The Cougars went on an 8-0 run to take a 64-54 lead, before the run was stopped by Xavier Edmonds.
“We got it down to two, they hit a big 3 and that killed us,” Dixon said. “At the end of the day, they made their free throws, and we didn’t at a high enough rate. Coming back from 13 down [at halftime] was a challenge.”
But it was clear TCU was becoming gassed on defense, as the Horned Frogs gave up multiple wide-open looks to the Cougars, including a 3-pointer by Milos Uzan that made it 69-58 with 3:27 remaining.
Uzan’s 3 would serve as the dagger; TCU didn’t get closer than seven points in the final three minutes.
The loss snapped a two-game winning streak by TCU, and it was also a missed opportunity to add another signature win to the Horned Frogs’ NCAA Tournament resume. TCU entered Wednesday on the bubble in most projections.
TCU will travel face Colorado (12-8, 2-5) at 1 p.m. Sunday in Boulder.
Here are three more takeaways from Wednesday’s game:
No answer for Houston’s Emanuel Sharp
TCU struggled to contain Houston senior guard Emanuel Sharp all night, as the veteran leader from last year’s national runner-up squad consistently made timely shots. One reason for his success was TCU’s half-court defense, which attempted to trap Houston’s big men and ball handlers coming off pick-and-rolls.
It was an attempt to speed the Cougars up offensively, but it also left shooters like Sharp open in the short corner. He knocked down multiple 3-pointers off the Cougars showing patience against the trap, and he went on a personal 8-2 run near the end of the first half after TCU had cut the lead to 30-26.
Sharp scored 16 points in the first half to lead all scorers, but he had to sit for over five minutes in the second half after picking up his fourth foul with 11:58 remaining. However, thanks to Flemings, when Sharp came back into the game, Houston was still in control with a 62-54 lead. Sharp continued to hit timely shots, including converting a three-point play to put Houston ahead 72-61 with 2:21 remaining.
Sharp fouled out with 23 points.
David Punch’s return for TCU
After missing Saturday’s win over Baylor with an illness, sophomore forward David Punch returned and showed no signs of rust against Houston’s elite defense. Punch scored 11 points in the first half and knocked down his first five shots as he and Edmonds were TCU’s best source of offense.
Punch’s first basket of the day came when he made a defender slip in transition, then he finished the nice move with a layup. With the Cougars walling off the rim, Punch showcased a different aspect of his game as knocked down multiple mid-range jumpers from around the free-throw line. Punch even knocked down a rare 3-pointer as he did his best to keep the Horned Frogs within reach.
“I was feeling really good,” Punch said of his return. “I was looking forward to this game. Houston’s a good team, and it was a great opportunity for me to come back and show how good of a player I am.”
Houston slowed Punch down in the second half, limiting him to just five points, but Edmonds stepped up and scored 18 points as he continued his strong surge in Big 12 play. Punch finished with 16, while Edmonds led TCU with 18 points.
The Horned Frogs’ big man duo was able to match Houston’s physicality, but the lack of production from TCU’s guards was ultimately the difference.
Freshman phenoms
TCU continued its streak of facing likely lottery picks in the NBA draft as the Horned Frogs were tasked with slowing down Houston freshmen Chris Cenac and Flemings.
Flemings was coming off a 42-point performance against Texas Tech, and he picked up right where he left off. He scored the first basket of the game with a nice pull-up jumper and added more timely shots, including a 3-pointer to finish with 10 in the first half.
Cenac, a 6-foot-11 former five-star recruit, was also impactful with his size and athleticism in the lane. Cenac grabbed 10 of his 14 rebounds in the first half and served as a formidable deterrent in the paint.
Flemings began to take over in the second half. He showed his advanced shot-making ability as he knocked down a 3, multiple mid-range jumpers and used his athleticism to draw fouls. Houston needed the freshman to step up his production with Sharp dealing with foul trouble. On two separate occasions, TCU cut it to two in the second half only for Flemings with respond with a bucket to stave off the run each time.
Flemings scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half, while Cenac finished with eight points.
This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 10:49 PM.
