Takeaways from Kansas State’s last-second defeat against the TCU Horned Frogs
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State lost 84-82 after leading most of the game and turning it late.
- PJ Haggerty scored 30, but TCU’s late defense and Edmonds’ free throws won it.
- Reserve Marcus Johnson erupted for a season-high 15 off the bench.
The Kansas State men’s basketball team found a new and agonizing way to lose, this time against TCU on Saturday at Schollmaier Arena.
TCU managed to win 84-82 despite trailing for 39 minutes and 31 seconds of game action. TCU never led by more than two points and didn’t take its first lead until 6.7 seconds were left on the clock.
But that was enough for the Horned Frogs to celebrate a conference victory, and for the Wildcats to head home dejected after another defeat.
For much of the afternoon, this outcome seemed unfathomable. K-State led by as many as 18 in the early going and appeared to be in control midway through the second half, thanks in large part to 30 points from PJ Haggerty. But the Wildcats could never truly pull away from the Horned Frogs. And the home team made all the big plays late.
TCU scored the final seven points of the game, while K-State committed turnovers on two of its final possessions in the clutch. The game ended with Nate Johnson missing a desperation heave from beyond midcourt at the buzzer.
A K-State win would have boosted morale for a struggling team.
Coming into the game, there weren’t many reasons to feel confident about the Wildcats (10-13, 1-9 Big 12). Not only were they missing four players, but several members of their active roster were recovering from the flu, including Haggerty. This didn’t feel like a golden opportunity for them to pull off a road upset in Big 12 play.
But they threatened to win when they got 15 surprise points from reserve wing Marcus Johnson and a pair of double-digit scoring efforts from Nate Johnson and David Castillo to go along with a big game from Haggerty.
It wasn’t enough, though. The Horned Frogs (14-9, 4-6 Big 12) battled back from a big deficit and pulled ahead thanks to a pair of free throws from Xavier Edmonds with 6.7 seconds remaining. That gave TCU an 83-82 lead, and it was able to close out the game.
K-State literally let the game slip away when Nate Johnson fumbled the ball out of bounds with 19.7 seconds remaining with K-State clinging to an 82-81 lead. TCU owned the final moments.
Next up for K-State is a home game against Cincinnati.
Until then, here are takeaways from Saturday’s action:
PJ Haggerty nearly carried K-State to a win
No one in the Big 12 has been a more consistent scorer than PJ Haggerty this season.
He entered the weekend averaging 23 points per game for the Wildcats, with all of his conference games ending in double figures. He found a higher gear on offense at times in this game, as he scored 30 points on 24 shots. At one point in the second half, he went on a personal 8-0 run against TCU.
The fact that he did it while suffering from flu-like symptoms made it even more impressive.
But it wasn’t enough to get a victory.
He cooled off a bit down the stretch as TCU began to focus its defense on him. He didn’t score over the final 3:52 of game action. On this night, he needed one or two more buckets to carry his team to a win.
This was the Marcus Johnson game
Most K-State basketball fans recognize Marcus Johnson for his robust stature more than his game.
The 6-foot-7 and 265-pound wing has the body of an offensive lineman.
He used that size to his advantage in previous seasons at Bowling Green, but he has done little since joining the Wildcats ahead of this season. Heading into this weekend, he had made 1 of 13 shots for the entire season.
It seemed unlikely that he would step up and provide a spark for K-State on the road in this game. But that is exactly what he did. Johnson knocked down four 3-pointers in the first half and then another in the second half. He scored a season-high 15 points and gave the Wildcats a serious lift off the bench.
A small group of K-State fans at the top of the arena began chanting his name during his hot streak. The Wildcats will hope he can continue playing that way.
Khamari McGriff gave K-State a boost in his return
The K-State big man only had six points and two rebounds against TCU, but his presence was noticeable on the court.
McGriff had missed the past four games for K-State, which severely hindered the Wildcats on offense. When he returned to the floor, his team was able to maintain better spacing and get good looks.
He played 24 minutes and helped the Wildcats top 80 points for the first time since Jan. 20.
TCU helped K-State with unforced errors
The Horned Frogs committed several unforced errors that helped K-State hold the lead for most of the game. TCU’s biggest mistakes came at the free-throw line, where the Horned Frogs only made 22 of 36 shots.
The Horned Frogs also committed 13 turnovers, which the Wildcats turned into 20 points on the other end.
K-State deserved credit for taking advantage of those blunders ... until the final moments.
This story was originally published February 7, 2026 at 4:09 PM.