TCU Boosts NCAA Hopes With 69-66 Upset Of No. 9 Texas Tech
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Mike Miles scored 26 points, Xavier Cork dunked for the go-ahead bucket late and TCU boosted its NCAA Tournament hopes by rallying for a 69-66 upset of No. 9 Texas Tech on Saturday night.
The Horned Frogs (18-9, 7-8 Big 12) trailed by 11 points early in the second half and went ahead for the first time after the break on a 3-pointer by Francisco Farabello for a 61-60 lead.
TCU won the second of four consecutive games against ranked opponents after losing a 10-point lead in the second half at 20th-ranked Texas. The next two are back-to-back against No. 5 Kansas. Winning one of the four helps the Horned Frogs' resume significantly.
Farabello's bucket started a stretch of seven consecutive possessions in which the lead changed hands inside the 4-minute mark. That run ended on a shot-clock violation by the Red Raiders (22-7, 11-5) after Cork's dunk put TCU ahead 67-66 with 1:11 remaining.
Miles made one of two free throws with 24 seconds to go, but former Texas Tech player Micah Peavy stole a pass with 11 seconds remaining.
Peavy missed a free throw that would have put the Horned Frogs up four, but Terrence Shannon Jr. and Adonis Arms missed 3-pointers before Peavy got a rebound.
After Peavy missed two more free throws, the Red Raiders called timeout as the buzzer sounded, leading to 0.5 seconds being put on the clock. Bryson Williams, who scored 21 points, caught the long inbound pass and hit a turnaround 3-pointer, but it was after the buzzer.
TCU students celebrated with players at midcourt with the officials roped off checking the replay, which confirmed that Williams' shot was late. Texas Tech's four-game winning streak ended.
Emanuel Miller scored 11 points for the Horned Frogs, and Damion Baugh added 10.
Arms had 15 points for the Red Raiders, while Warren scored 12.
BIG PICTURE
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders missed a chance to finish their first sweep of Baylor, Texas and TCU in 26 years. The last one was in 1995-96, the last season of the Southwest Conference. The Horned Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012-13.
TCU: The Horned Frogs trailed for long stretches, and part of the reason they stayed close was solid 3-point shooting from Miles and Baugh. Both came in shooting less than 30% from long range. They combined to go 5 of 11.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Red Raiders might have another one-week stay in the top 10 of The Associated Press poll. They got in for the first time two weeks ago, but a loss at Oklahoma knocked them out right away. The loss to TCU puts them at risk of dropping out again.
UP NEXT
Texas Tech: The home finale is Monday against Kansas State.
TCU: The first of two against the Jayhawks is at home Tuesday. The rematch is Thursday in Lawrence, a game that was postponed in early January because of COVID-19 issues with the Horned Frogs.
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