Peterson scores 24 to lead No. 14 Kansas past TCU 78-73 in the Big 12 quarterfinals
Kansas' Darryn Peterson (22) heads to the basket as TCU's David Punch (15) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Conference tournament Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Darryn Peterson scored 24 points in a season-high 37 minutes and No. 14 Kansas beat TCU 78-73 in the last quarterfinal of the Big 12 tournament Thursday night at T-Mobile Center.
The Jayhawks will face No. 5 Houston, which defeated BYU 73-66 in the quarterfinals, in the second semifinal Friday night.
Peterson struggled from the floor, missing 12 of his 17 shots, including a breakaway two-handed dunk with the Jayhawks leading 68-63 with just over four minutes left. But he made up for it from the line, going 13 for 16.
Flory Bidunga added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Kansas (23-9), while Bryson Tiller and Elmarko Jackson also had 13 points.
David Punch scored 24 points for TCU (22-11). Liutauras Lelevicius had 14 and Jayden Pierre added 11.
The Jayhawks are 13-7 this season with Peterson in the lineup. They were 10-2 without him.
Bidunga was in foul trouble most of the night. He picked up two fouls in the first half, and picked up his fourth with 6:29 left in the game.
Kansas' Flory Bidunga, center, looks past TCU's David Punch, left, as TCU's Liutauras Lelevicius (3) watches during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Conference tournament Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel
Kansas opened the second half with an 8-0 run after trailing by three. TCU answered with runs of 8-1 and 13-2 to retake the lead.
The score was tied at 61-all when Trey White hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 5:34 left. The Jayhawks never trailed again, but neither team led by more than six points until Tiller threw down a dunk to make the score 70-63 with 3:22 left.
The first half was filled with spurts. TCU grabbed its largest lead at 23-16 thanks to an 8-0 run, but Kansas responded with a 12-0 surge to regain the lead. The teams traded the lead back and forth before the Horned Frogs took a 34-31 lead into the locker room.
Up next
The No. 3-seeded Jayhawks face the second-seeded Cougars.
