24 days after suffering an abysmal loss to the New Orleans Privateers, the TCU Horned Frogs delivered a shock of their own. On Thanksgiving, they defeated the defending NCAA champion Florida Gators 84–40 in the first round of the Rady Children’s Invitational.
The Horned Frogs opened the scoring, but Florida quickly responded, rattling off eight of the next ten points to grab a six-point lead. TCU answered right back with a 10–1 surge of its own, punctuated by a Jayden Pierre three-pointer.
The rest of the first half unfolded as a back-and-forth affair, featuring three ties and seven lead changes over the next dozen minutes. David Punch and Micah Robinson provided steady scoring to keep TCU in range, while Thomas Haugh and Urban Klavzar answered for Florida to maintain its edge. After Brock Harding’s pair of free throws cut the deficit to three, a Haugh dunk swung the momentum back the Gators’ way and sent them into halftime up five.
Two quick buckets from David Punch pulled TCU within three early in the second half, but Florida soon found its rhythm. With just over 15 minutes left, the Gators stretched the margin to double digits for the first time, 53–43. But just like their early burst in the first half, the lead evaporated. TCU scored six straight and eventually reclaimed the lead with 10 minutes to play.
Florida briefly surged back in front, but the seesaw pace returned. As the Gators started connecting from deep, Jace Posey answered with a run of his own, pouring in eight straight points for TCU—capped by a transition slam that secured Harding’s first double-double of the season.
After an Alex Condon dunk put Florida up six with five and a half minutes left, Punch and Posey kept TCU within striking distance. The duo combined for five points, and a Micah Robinson layup gave the Frogs a 75–74 lead. Boogie Fland tied it with a lay-in at the 1:30 mark, but Brock Harding answered with a short jumper to reclaim the lead, 79–77. Florida missed a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, and Harding calmly sank two free throws to create separation. Three more Harding free throws—split around a Thomas Haugh triple—sealed the 84–80 final.
Posey led all scorers with 21 points, buoyed by a 9-of-11 performance at the free-throw line. Harding and Punch each added 19, with Harding dishing out 12 assists and Punch grabbing nine boards. Florida was paced by Thomas Haugh and Urban Klavzar, who both scored 20. Rueben Chinyelu contributed 13 points and nine rebounds, while Alex Condon nearly posted a triple-double with eight points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
Both teams shot similar percentages from the field and from three-point range, but turnovers proved to be the decisive factor. TCU committed just nine giveaways compared to Florida’s 19, and the Horned Frogs turned those mistakes into 22 points.
Next up: TCU will face the Wisconsin Badgers on Black Friday in the Rady Children’s Invitational final, with tipoff set for 4:30 p.m. CT.
