Big 12 basketball: Kansas Jayhawks survive scare at TCU

The Kansas Jayhawks narrowly escaped at Fort Worth against the TCU Horned Frogs. More on that and the other games as we review the Big 12 basketball games this week.

Here’s our recap of Iowa State’s win over Texas on Monday night.

(17)West Virginia Mountaineers 65, Kansas State Wildcats 59

45 turnovers and 54 fouls combined for both teams. Incredibly ugly despite Bob Huggins saying “it was beautiful,” but there’s a reason he’s saying that. That’s how the Mountaineers want to play. Of course, it would have helped the Wildcats if they were able to have a better mark at the free throw line. They finished making just 20-of-35 attempts.

Oklahoma State Cowboys 64, (20)Baylor Bears 53

The Cowboys went against the grain and instead of just Phil Forte III and Le’Bryan Nash leading the way, there were other players that stepped up in all phases of the game. Michael Cobbins had a season-high 11 rebounds, Anthony Hickey Jr. had a career-high 10 assists, and Tavarius Shine had a season-high 11 points. It was all a perfect storm to upset the Bears at home.

(24)Oklahoma Sooners 81, Texas Tech Red Raiders 36

Glad to see the Red Raiders were able to build on their win over Iowa State by handing Tubby Smith his worst loss in his coaching career. They had just seven points after 14 minutes and they allowed the Sooners to get on a game-ending scoring run late in the first half. Oklahoma definitely got their revenge after TTU upset them in Norman last year. Ryan Spangler was the leader in the clubhouse with a season-high 20 points.

Jan 28, 2015; Fort Worth, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs forward Brandon Parrish (11) drives against Kansas Jayhawks guard Brannen Greene (14) and forward Jamari Traylor (31) at Wilkerson-Greines Athletic Center. Kansas beat TCU 64-61. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

(9)Kansas Jayhawks 64, TCU Horned Frogs 61

Another tough loss for the Horned Frogs. They looked to be out of it when the Jayhawks had a commanding lead with around four minutes to go, but KU stopped scoring and TCU snuck back in. There was even a good look to tie it up by Charles Hill Jr. as the buzzer sounded after Frank Mason III missed both free throw attempts.

The Horned Frogs still could have won despite shooting just 30.6 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from downtown; the Jayhawks also recorded 12 blocks. Again, if TCU could hit free throws (15-for-29), it could have been a different ending.

If the power rankings released today…

Kansas (17-3, 6-1)
Iowa State (15-4, 5-2)
West Virginia (17-3, 5-2)
Texas (14-6, 3-4)
Baylor (15-5, 3-4)
Oklahoma (13-7, 4-4)
Oklahoma State (14-6, 4-4)
Kansas State (12-9, 5-3)
TCU (14-6, 1-6)
Texas Tech (11-10, 1-7)

Next: Big 12 rankings: Baylor surges toward the top

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