FORT WORTH– Forward Emanuel Miller and center Eddie Lampkin Jr. led the way as No. 17 TCU knocked off No. 11 Kansas State 82-68 on Saturday at Schollmaier Arena.
Both teams struggled shooting out of the gate, but TCU found a rhythm with a 13-2 run midway through the first half to take a 19-13 lead and never looked back.
The Horned Frogs locked down on defense as they led by as many as 25 while forcing 19 turnovers (14 steals) and creating several long scoring runs throughout the game to build an insurmountable lead.
“I liked how we came out and played,” TCU head coach Jamie Dixon told the media after the game. Â “After a few layups to start the game, I thought we really got the aggressiveness and the team defense going.”
On Wednesday, TCU had led Texas by as many as 18 and lost the game. While Kansas State outscored TCU 31-20 over the last 10:49 of the game on Saturday, the Horned Frogs were able to hang on for the win.
Miller finished the game with 23 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, and Lampkin had 17 points (13 in the first half) and six rebounds. Â Guards Mike Miles and Damion Baugh also scored in double figures.
Kansas State was led by 18 points from forward Keyontae Johnson and 16 points from guard Markquis Nowell.
WHAT TO KNOW
Kansas State came into the game on a nine-game winning streak and tied for first place in the Big 12 with a 15-1 overall record and a 4-0 conference record. It was the Wildcats’ best start since the 1958-59 season, and only UCLA and Xavier had longer winning streaks at the time of Saturday’s tip-off.
This was the fourth consecutive top-25 opponent TCU has played. The Horned Frogs are now 3-2 against top-25 teams this season.
TCU improved to 11-20 all-time against Kansas State and earned its first win over the Wildcats in Fort Worth since February 2020. It was the first time the schools had ever met as top 25 teams.
BY THE NUMBERS
TCU ranked third in the Big 12 and 10th nationally with a +5.1 turnover margin. The Horned Frogs forced 20 turnovers from Kansas State on Saturday and committed only 10 themselves for a +10 turnover margin.
The Horned Frogs shot 46% from the field on Saturday, ending a three-game streak of shooting 48% or better.
Kansas State was averaging 18.9 assists per game and was held 15 by TCU.
Nowell, Johnson, and Nae’Qwan Tomlin entered the game averaging a combined 46.7 points per game, the second-most in the Big 12 behind Baylor’s Adam Flagler, LJ Cryer, and Keyonte George. The Kansas State trio fell short of its average with 42 points in Saturday’s contest and was kept at bay for most of the game until Nowell came alive in the final minutes.
WHO SAID
Coach Dixon on the development of Emanuel Miller:
“What I see is a guy getting better because he works hard, and he takes the coaching and does a good job listening [to our staff].”
Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang on hitting the panic button:
“Panic about what? We have two losses. There’s nothing to panic about. This is the Big 12. I don’t know anybody who’s expecting anyone to go undefeated. You can prepare and play well but still lose. Tough teams do the next right thing.”
WHAT’S NEXT
TCU (14-3, 3-2 in the Big 12) will play at West Virginia (10-7, 0-5) on Wednesday at 6 pm CT. Kansas State (15-2, 4-1) hosts No. 2 Kansas (15-1, 4-0) on Tuesday at 6 pm CT.
