Xavier Cork’s block in the final second preserved No.17 TCU’s comeback win over No.19 Baylor in Waco on Wednesday night.
The Horned Frogs trailed by as many as 17 but made a late run to take the lead on a Chuck O’Bannon Jr. three-pointer with four seconds left in the game.
Baylor seemed to be running away with the game after a 12-4 run in the first half and led by 10 at halftime. TCU did not back down as guard Mike Miles scored 10 points in a two-minute span to cut the deficit to seven early in the second half.
After Baylor rebuilt its lead to 11, the Horned Frogs held the Bears without a field goal for nine minutes, forcing a Baylor timeout. Miles knocked down a three with 41 seconds remaining to cut the lead to one, and a Baylor miss led to a three from O’Bannon.
Baylor used its remaining timeouts to get the ball to half-court and set up one final play.
The ball was given to Keyonte George, who was met at the rim by Cork. Adam Flagler missed a shot on the rebound, and the game was over.
WHAT TO KNOW
This was the first-ever matchup between TCU and Baylor when both teams were ranked in the Top 25.
TCU earned its first win in Waco since 2018 and gives the Horned Frogs an 11-game winning streak — their longest since 2017-18.
It is the second-straight game that TCU has come back to win after being down by double digits and the third time this season. The Horned Frogs beat Texas Tech on Saturday after trailing by 13 and beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff earlier in the season after trailing by 20.
Baylor had its 13-game home winning streak snapped, the fourth-longest streak in program history.
BY THE NUMBERS
Miles finished with a career-high 33 points, the most points by a TCU player since Desmond Bane scored 34 points at Texas in March 2019.
TCU has 13 wins through 14 games for the third time in program history. The last time was in 2017-18.
TCU continues to lead the nation in fast break points, outscoring Baylor 23-2 in this game.
Baylor’s 49 first-half points are the second most it has scored in a half this season and the most it has scored against a conference opponent since scoring 50 against West Virginia in 2021. The Bears scored 61 in the first half of its season-opener against Mississippi Valley State.
WHO SAID
Baylor head coach Scott Drew spoke on the teams’ playing styles and the difference in the game:
“That’s a typical Big 12 game, and that’s what it’s like when you’re on the wrong end of it. I thought Mike [Miles] was incredible. We knew they were good in transition, and our transition defense was atrocious. And that was the game for us.”
TCU forward Emanuel Miller spoke on trailing by 17:
“I’d be lying if I said we weren’t calm. We’ve been in that situation so many times, just like the last game against Tech going into halftime … Everyone’s mind was calm, smooth, and collected, and we executed great.”
FREE THROWS
Baylor landed a commitment from 2024 five-star center Yves Missi on Wednesday. He is the 18th-ranked player in the class of 2024 according to 247 Sports.
NEXT UP
TCU (13-1, 2-0 in the Big 12) takes on No 25 Iowa State (11-2, 2-0) in Fort Worth on Saturday at 1 p.m. CST. Baylor (10-4, 0-2) hosts Kansas State (13-1, 2-0) at 5 p.m. CST the same day.
