Three takeaways as TCU upsets No. 10 Texas Tech, likely secures NCAA tournament bid

Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Mar 3, 2026

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TCU men’s basketball no longer has to wonder about whether it will make the NCAA tournament.

After upsetting No. 10 Texas Tech 73-65 (22-8, 12-5) in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday, the question the Horned Frogs (20-10, 10-7) have to wonder about now is how high will their seed be on Selection Sunday on March 15?

The Horned Frogs have now won seven of their last eight games. Once again TCU’s execution down the stretch was impressive, a clear area of growth for a team that struggled to close out games in December and January.

With 3 minutes, 42 seconds remaining, TCU held a 62-58 lead despite having allowed 10 3-pointers and sophomore forward David Punch dealing with foul trouble.

The Horned Frogs came up with two critical scores to extend the lead. The first came after Micah Robinson created a second chance opportunity for Brock Harding that increased the lead to 64-58.

Then Harding found a wide-open Liutauras Lelevicius in the left corner and Lelevicius knocked down a 3-pointer that gave TCU its biggest lead of the game, 67-58, with 2:04 remaining.

But the Red Raiders had one last push and cut their deficit to four points Donovan Atwell’s 3-pointer that made it 69-65 with 46 seconds remaining.

TCU’s Xavier Edmonds then came up with the biggest basket of the night as he rebounded a miss from Robinson for a putback with 31 seconds left. The Red Raiders wouldn’t score the rest of the way.

The Horned Frogs will host Cincinnati in the regular season finale on Saturday.

Here are three more takeaways from Tuesday’s win:

Historic win

The victory over the Red Raiders didn’t just likely secure TCU an at-large NCAA tournament bid, it also helped Jamie Dixon achieve a historic milestone. The 10 conference wins are the most ever since the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12, and TCU is also guaranteed to have its first winning record Big 12 games. It’s also the most wins the Horned Frogs have had in any conference since TCU won 14 games in the WAC in the 1997-98 season.

Considering how the season started with a loss to New Orleans and an injury to starting center Malick Diallo, for Dixon to achieve this milestone with this team marks for one of the best coaching jobs of his tenure.

As for the NCAA tournament, TCU was already trending in the right direction in most bracketology predictions. ESPN had the Horned Frogs as a 10 seed. With a third win over an opponent that was ranked in the top 10, there should be no doubt about TCU’s tournament standing regardless of what happens against Cincinnati or in the Big 12 tournament.

Another dominant day for Edmonds

Considering the stakes and the opponent, Edmonds might have had his best game as a Horned Frog in Lubbock.

Edmonds delivered another double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. It was his 10th double-double in the last 11 games as he continues to make a case for being one of the top big men in the Big 12.

His performance was needed against Texas Tech, as it was essential for the Horned Frogs to exploit the absence of All-American forward JT Toppin. Toppin tore his ACL on Feb. 17 and will miss the remainder of the season. Toppin was the frontrunner for Big 12 Player of the Year, averaging over 20 points and 11 rebounds per game. But with Toppin sidelined, Texas Tech had no answer for Edmonds.

Edmonds did his usual damage inside, but also showcased his growing offensive arsenal as he knocked down two 3-pointers, including one that put TCU ahead 48-47 midway through the second half. The emergence of Edmonds down the stretch is one of the many reasons TCU will likely be in the NCAA tournament.

Long-range snipers

With Toppin’s injury, Texas Tech has been forced to reinvent itself on the fly and one way the Red Raiders have done that is by leaning on the 3-point shot. Texas Tech hit at least a dozen 3-pointers in the three games without Toppin, and the Horned Frogs were barely able to keep them under that number as the Red Raiders knocked down 11 3s.

Every time TCU would make a run, the Red Raiders were able to answer with a timely shot from behind the arc. Jaylen Petty was the toughest assignment for TCU. Petty knocked down 5 of his first 6 3-pointers while Atwell added five.

The Horned Frogs were able to overcome Texas Tech’s hot shooting with their ability to force turnovers. TCU forced 15 turnovers, including six from potential first-round pick Christian Anderson Jr.

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