Three Observations From Kansas’ Big 12 Quarterfinal Win Over TCU

Kansas picked up a much-needed victory over TCU on Thursday evening, opening the Big 12 Tournament with a 78-73 win to advance to the semifinal round. The Jayhawks will take on No. 2 seed Houston tomorrow with hopes of advancing to the Big 12 championship for the first time in three years.

It was far from a pretty performance, as Bill Self's group trailed by as many as seven and allowed several big runs that kept the Horned Frogs in the game. However, KU was able to close it out with some timely buckets and stellar defensive possessions.

Although Kansas' work in the postseason is far from over, it was an encouraging win that should provide some momentum going into tomorrow's showdown. Here are our three instant observations from the contest tonight.

Mar 12, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Elmarko Jackson (13) brings the ball up court during the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

3. Poor Defensive Rebounding on Both Ends

One factor that kept TCU in the game for most of the night was KU's lackluster defensive rebounding. It surrendered 12 offensive rebounds, including four to David Punch alone.

Bryson Tiller was pretty dreadful on the boards today, making multiple mental lapses that allowed the Horned Frogs to score easy second-chance points. He was benched for a large portion of the second half, and true freshman Paul Mbiya even received some minutes at the center position before him.

While Kansas struggled on the defensive glass, it made up for it with some big rebounds on the other end. KU had 11 offensive rebounds itself, including five by Flory Bidunga, who ended several TCU scoring runs with second-chance points.

Kansas' big man struggles are concerning lately, especially those of Tiller. Still, they both did enough to help secure the victory down the stretch.

2. A Game of Back-And-Forth Runs

Both teams appeared to be in control at different points tonight, but it was truly a game of runs. After opening the contest with a 9-0 lead, TCU responded with a 12-2 run to go ahead halfway through the first half.

Then, KU opened the second half on an 8-0 run, only to subsequently surrender a 13-2 surge to the Horned Frogs. There was very little consistency from either squad, and both sides pushed back whenever it felt like one team was ready to break it open.

Mar 12, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Tre White (3) brings the ball up court during the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Ultimately, the Jayhawks were able to get the last laugh, ending the game on a 19-14 run to pull out the win. However, the margin of victory could have been much more if not for a handful of scoring droughts by Coach Self's group.

1. Kansas Lived at the Free Throw Line

While Kansas scored some timely buckets, it had no chance of staying in this game without its opportunities at the charity stripe. The Jayhawks shot 30 free throws in the second half after getting to the line just seven times in the first 20 minutes.

Darryn Peterson was the catalyst for drawing contact, going 13-for-16 to offset what was otherwise an unimpressive offensive performance from him. Flory Bidunga (3-for-4) and Elmarko Jackson (10-for-10) also contributed at the stripe in several big moments.

The second half moved at a very slow pace for both teams because of the abundance of fouls that were called. Some certainly benefited the Jayhawks more than the Horned Frogs, and a few were objectively puzzling, but we're going to turn a blind eye to that. Regardless, the offense needs to be a lot better moving forward, as it cannot rely on calls from the officials to get its points.