By Jeff Wilson
Frogs Today senior writer
FORT WORTH — The last time TCU beat Kansas was in 2017 at the Big 12 tournament.
Freshman guard Desmond Bane came off the bench to score 16 points, including three free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining to send the Horned Frogs to an 85-82 victory in a quarterfinal game.
The Frogs play their final home game of the season tonight against No. 6 Kansas, and Bane is expected to be in attendance.
Bane, who finished his TCU career in 2020, is now a second-year star for the Memphis Grizzlies. They won at San Antonio on Monday night and don’t play again until Thursday, so Bane has time to cheer on his alma mater to a victory that would seal berth to the NCAA Tournament.
The Frogs should have some momentum after upsetting Texas Tech on Saturday, but to beat Kansas they will have to match their play in the second half against the Red Raiders. TCU limited Texas Tech to only 25 points after halftime and forced 13 turnovers.
The game is the first of three in five days for TCU. The Frogs will head to Kansas on Thursday to make up a game that was postponed Jan. 1 because of a COVID-19 outbreak among TCU players. The season finale is Saturday at West Virginia.
Kansas at TCU men
7 p.m. Tuesday, Schollmaier Arena, Fort Worth
Records: Kansas 23-5, 12-3 Big 12; TCU 18-9, 7-8 Big 12
TV: ESPN+. Radio: KLIF/570 AM
About Kansas: The Jayhawks are coming off an 80-70 road loss Saturday to Baylor. Ochai Agbaji, the leading scorer in the Big 12 at 20.4 points per game, finished with 27 points for his fourth straight game with at least 20. He will be a handful for the Frogs, who could use Micah Peavy to defend him. … Kansas has been a handful for TCU. The Jayhawks lead the all-time series 22-2. Their two losses to the Frogs came in 2017 in the Big 12 tournament (the Jayhawks were ranked No.1 ) and in 2013 in Fort Worth in one of the biggest regular-season upsets in Big 12 history. … Kansas isn’t a one-man show. Christian Braun averages 15.5 points and Jalen Wilson, from Denton Guyer High School, averages 10.6. … All three of Kansas’ conference losses have come on the road.
About TCU: The Frogs are coming off a 69-66 victory over then-No. 9 Texas Tech. Mike Miles Jr. led all scorers with 26 points in his best all-around game of the season. He also came up with five steals as the Frogs forced Texas Tech to commit 20 turnovers. … The victory gave TCU five Quad 1 wins this season, their most since since the NCAA NET formula was first used in 2018-19. TCU climbed in the NET rankings from 54 to 49, which is somehow one spot behind Oklahoma (15-14, 5-11). TCU beat Oklahoma twice this season. … The Frogs are at their best when Emanuel Miller is on the floor. He’s averaging 10.5 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds, and TCU has struggled in the few instances when he has batted foul trouble. … Chuck O’Bannon Jr., who has made a team-high 37 3-pointers, turns 23 today.
Jeff Wilson, jeff@frogstoday.com
