KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ TCU freshman Desmond Bane made three free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining in a tie game and the Horned Frogs held on to stun No. 1 Kansas, 85-82, in Thursday's quarterfinal round of the Big 12 men's basketball tournament at the Sprint Center.
The upset allowed the Horned Frogs (19-14) to post their 19th victory of the season under first-year coach Jamie Dixon, the school's most victories in any season as a Big 12 member. TCU earned a Friday matchup against Iowa State in the semifinals, marking the deepest journey TCU has made in the conference tournament as a Big 12 member.
Guard Kenrich Williams led TCU in scoring with 18 points and Bane added 16 off the bench. The triumph ended TCU's 22-game losing streak to ranked opponents that dated to a 70-55 victory over No. 21 Oklahoma State on Feb. 14, 2015.
Kansas (28-4) lost to TCU for the first time since the Frogs' first season as a Big 12 member. TCU fans offered a curtain call for Dixon, chanting "Jamie Dixon! Jamie Dixon!" as the team left the court.
Both teams were hot from the field in the first half, making more than 50 percent of their shots. But Kansas raced to a double-digit lead because the Jayhawks were more successful from long range.
That began to change over the final 4:19 of the first half, after Dixon was whistled for a technical foul. From that point forward, the Frogs outscored the Jayhawks 16-3 until the halftime buzzer, when TCU took a 43-42 lead into the locker room.
The Frogs made 6 of 7 shots from the field in their late surge to erase a 39-27 deficit, with Brandon Parrish contributing a pair of timely jumpers and Bane finishing the run with a go-ahead free throw with four seconds left in the half.
TCU eventually built the lead to 11 points in the second half before Kansas responded. But TCU scored the final three points on Bane's free throws to seal the upset.
