On Saturday evening in Ft. Worth, Texas, two Big 12 teams clashed in an exciting NCAA Tournament style matchup.
TCU hosted Kansas State at Schollmaier Arena in an incredible game. The contest went back and forth down the stretch, with both teams trading the lead. With one final minute left, the Wildcats led by one. TCU guard Noah Reynolds then converted a massive bucket to give the Horned Frogs the lead, 63-62, with 9.5 seconds remaining. On the final play of regulation, K-State’s Dug McDaniel missed a layup with time winding down, sealing the deal for TCU.
With that, here are three takeaways from the contest.
Reynolds Gets It Done
When looking through the box score between Kansas State and TCU, it’s impossible to miss the lack of efficient scorers. The Wildcats leading scorer, Dug McDaniel, posted 12 points on 6-15 shooting. Their second-leading scorer, Coleman Hawkins, finished his day with 11 points on 5-14 shooting from the field.
The same can be said for just about everyone on TCU who is not named Noah Reynolds. The former Green Bay point guard was sensational down the stretch for the Horned Frogs, posting 18 points, three rebounds, and two assists. He was also responsible for converting the game-winning shot vs. Kansas State with 9.5 seconds remaining.
Fouls, Free Throws, and the Streak
For Kansas State, this loss stings. Jerome Tang’s group led TCU by six points with less than three minutes remaining and couldn’t get the job done. In the final two minutes of the game, David N’Guessan and Dug McDaniel each missed the front end of a one-and-one, which let the Horned Frogs off the hook.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they took a bit of a beating from the officiating crew. Kansas State attempted a total of five free throws for the entire game, while TCU shot 16 attempts at the line.
Regardless, the Wildcats threw away the game and dropped to 1-1 in conference play this season. They now have a 12-game road losing streak dating back to the 2023-24 season, with their last road win coming on January 9th in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Momentum Game
While calling this game a ‘must-win’ game feels like a bit of an overreaction for TCU, getting out of the hole early was crucial. The Horned Frogs rallied back to avoid dropping to 0-2 in conference play. They face a road trip next against No. 14 Houston, a team that holds the longest active home winning streak in college basketball. TCU should feel much better about the next stretch of games with the win over K-State in their back pocket.
For Kansas State, this is a real gut punch. They had the game practically sealed with little to no time left and their starting point guard at the free-throw line. They stay on the road for their next matchup in Stillwater on Tuesday, January 7th, at 7:00 p.m. vs. Oklahoma State (0-2 Big 12).
