Three takeaways as TCU men’s basketball survives Big 12 Tournament opener
TCU men’s basketball staged a double-digit comeback to defeat Oklahoma State 95-88 in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday night.
“Proud of our guys,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “It was about six- or seven-minute mark and I told them this was our time, this is what we do. We’re right where we need to be. We kept chipping away and got the rebounds from minus-4 in the first half to plus-4 in the second half. We just played hard.”
It was the third win for No. 6-seeded TCU (22-10) over No. 14 Oklahoma State (19-14) this season. Like the first two matchups in the regular season, the third battle came down to the wire.
The Horned Frogs trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half before rallying to take an 87-84 lead with 3:35 remaining.
Junior guard Tanner Toolson delivered one of the biggest shots of the night when he knocked down a 3-pointer to give TCU a 92-86 lead with 1:56 remaining. Toolson made a huge impact off the bench, scoring 19 points.
Toolson made one last clutch play as he blocked a 3-point attempt by Jaylen Curry that helped the Horned Frogs put the game away.
The Horned Frogs have now won six straight games and nine of their last 10.
TCU will face No. 3 seed Kansas (22-9) in the quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPN2. The Jayhawks defeated TCU 104-100 in overtime on Jan. 6.
“We’re a better team than we were then,” Dixon said. “I wouldn’t say it was a good experience, but it was a learning experience.”
Here are three more takeaways from the win:
A motivated David Punch
Sophomore forward David Punch was grateful to be selected honorable mention All-Big 12, but thought he should’ve earned a spot on the one of the three All-Big 12 teams after being TCU’s leading scorer and one of the best rim protectors in the Big 12.
“It was great, but I obviously want more,” Punch said Tuesday. “But it was still great. I’m still young in my career, so it was a good milestone, but I’m hoping for more.”
Punch did his best to show that he was snubbed, as he delivered one of his best games of the season. Punch scored 13 points in the first half to help TCU cut Oklahoma State’s lead to 46-43 at halftime. Punch made five of his first six shots, including a 3-pointer.
Punch finished with a career-high 26 points with seven rebounds and four blocks.
“I think I showcased my versatility,” Punch said. “That’s been a talking point [for me] this year. I felt like today was a great opportunity, and Oklahoma State gave me a lot of open looks. I saw the ball going in too many times, and I just kept rolling with it.”
Third time’s the charm?
Offensively, the Cowboys were clearly comfortable seeing TCU’s style of defense for a third time.
When defending the pick-and-roll, the Horned Frogs often bring up a second defender for a hard hedge that slows down the ball handler. It’s one reason TCU has been so successful in causing turnovers, but it also comes with a risk as the second defender, usually a big, has to quickly sprint back and find his man after the initial hedge.
The Cowboys took advantage of those precious seconds when TCU’s bigs would rotate back to find open men cutting to the basket or shooters in the corner. Oklahoma State shot 51% in the first half and only turned it over three times as the Cowboys led most of the night.
Christian Coleman was the biggest disruptor to TCU’s defensive game plan, as the 6-foot-8 senior consistently slipped into the lane for easy baskets, making his first four shots in the second half.
But when the game was on the line, TCU’s defense came up with clutch stops. After the Cowboys cut TCU’s lead to 87-86 with 3:21 remaining, the Horned Frogs held Oklahoma State scoreless for nearly three minutes to finish off the comeback.
“They carved us up early,” Dixon said. “They’re an NCAA Tournament team if you take away the three losses to us. We had to change defenses a couple different times. I told [TCU athletic director] Mike Buddie in the tunnel the fourth [adjustment] worked. Great job responding. We have a variety of ways to guard, and the guys handled it well.”
Xavier Edmonds comes alive late
All-Big 12 forward Xavier Edmonds’ impact was limited in the first half as he dealt with foul trouble. Edmonds picked up a technical foul in the first minute of the game and his second foul with just over six minutes remaining in the first. Out of his rhythm, Edmonds managed just five points.
But Edmonds played a vital role in the comeback in the second half, making plays on both ends of the court. Edmonds grabbed six offensive rebounds to create extra possessions for TCU, and when he wasn’t scoring putbacks, he was finding his teammates for open looks.
The most important sequence came when he rebounded a free throw miss by Toolson and then kicked it out to senior guard Jayden Pierre for a 3-pointer that lifted TCU to an 81-80 lead with 5:40 remaining. It was TCU’s first lead since the 4:19 mark in the first half.
Edmonds finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, grabbing eight of those in the second half.
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 11:01 PM.
