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  • TCU Horned Frogs Upset No. 10 Florida, 84-80, To Advance In The Rady Children’s Invitational

TCU Horned Frogs Upset No. 10 Florida, 84-80, To Advance In The Rady Children’s Invitational

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Basketball

(BCSNN) — TCU delivered its biggest nonconference win in nearly four decades, knocking off No. 10 Florida 84–80 in the opening game of the Rady Children’s Invitational Thursday night at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Jace Posey came off the bench to score a career-high 21 points, while Brock Harding recorded his first double-double as a Horned Frog with 19 points and 12 assists. Harding also tied a career high with five steals, helping force 19 Florida turnovers.

The Horned Frogs (4–2) trailed 74–68 with 5:29 remaining but closed strong, shooting 57.7 percent in the second half and outscoring the Gators down the stretch. Harding scored TCU’s final seven points to secure the upset.

David Punch added 19 points and a career-best nine rebounds, stepping up in place of foul-troubled Xavier Edmonds. Posey, Harding, and Punch combined for 39 of TCU’s 45 second-half points.

Florida (4–2) was led by Thomas Haugh with 20 points, but the Gators couldn’t overcome TCU’s defensive pressure and late-game execution. Despite being the nation’s top rebounding team, Florida held only a narrow 31–28 edge on the boards.

The victory marked TCU’s first top-10 nonconference win since 1986, when the Frogs defeated No. 6 Oklahoma during head coach Jamie Dixon’s playing days. It was also the program’s first neutral-site top-10 win since beating No. 1 Kansas in the 2017 Big 12 Championship.

TCU improved to 107–19 against nonconference opponents under Dixon and notched its 10th top-10 win in program history. The Frogs also tied a season high with 12 steals and committed a season-low nine turnovers.

Posey was 9-of-11 from the free-throw line, while Harding logged 37 minutes and set career highs in free throws made (7) and attempted (8). Jayden Pierre chipped in 10 points, hitting two threes, while Micah Robinson extended his streak of games with a made three-pointer to six.

The Horned Frogs advance to face Wisconsin in the Rady Children’s Invitational championship game Friday at 4:30 p.m. CT on FOX, seeking their first midseason tournament title since 2022.