TCU forward David Punch (15) loses the ball while defended by Kansas forward Flory Bidunga (40) to give the ball back to the Jayhawks late in the second half on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026 at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawked defeated the Horned Frogs, 104-100. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas will face TCU in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinal round on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. at the T-Mobile Center. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

TCU, the No. 6 seed, defeated No. 14 seed Oklahoma State 95-88 on Wednesday night to earn its matchup with No. 3 KU. The Horned Frogs trailed for more than 30 minutes, including by as many as 10 points early in the second half, but surged ahead late to overcome the inspired Cowboys.

Guard Tanner Toolson hit a crucial 3-pointer to double TCU’s lead just inside of two minutes remaining, and he finished with 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench. TCU forward David Punch led all players with 26 points, a career high, and three additional Frogs reached double-figure scoring, including third-team all-league forward Xavier Edmonds.

TCU shot 50.7% from the field, won the rebounding battle by four and committed just seven turnovers against an OSU defense that did not offer much resistance. The Horned Frogs have now won nine of their last 10 games, a stretch that includes marquee victories over Iowa State and Texas Tech.

KU beat TCU in the lone meeting between the two teams this season, a 104-100 overtime thriller at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 6 in which the Jayhawks trailed by 13 points with four minutes to go, as well as by nine with just over a minute remaining after Liutauras Lelevicius hit what appeared to be the dagger 3-pointer.

However, a series of missed free throws and a turnover by Brock Harding got KU close enough that it trailed by three points and had the ball with five seconds remaining, at which point Darryn Peterson — who had exited the game due to cramps — returned, drew a foul on Jace Posey beyond the arc and made all three free throws to send the game to overtime. From there, Melvin Council Jr. carried the Jayhawks to an unlikely triumph.

KU will be hoping for better results on defense than it has produced in some of its recent games, and to look more like the team that rattled off eight straight wins during one impressive stretch in league play. The Jayhawks have a chance to improve their seeding for the NCAA Tournament with a strong showing at the T-Mobile Center.

The winner of KU-TCU will face either No. 2 Houston or No. 10 BYU at 8:30 p.m. on Friday.