By SAM LANCE
KANSAS CITY — TCU is likely safely in the NCAA Tournament after a 77-70 win over Oklahoma in the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi dubbed the contest between the Horned Frogs and Sooners as a “win and in” game. TCU entered the day as a No. 10 seed in Lunardi’s bracket, and Oklahoma was a No. 9 seed. The loss by Oklahoma could put the Sooners’ in Dayton for the First Four, or completely out of the NCAA Tournament, even though that seems unlikely.
Jamie Dixon’s squad is now 21-11 on the season and will face off against No. 1-seeded Houston on Thursday, March 14 at 3 p.m. ET in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. Forward Emanuel Miller (26 points, 8 rebounds) and guard Jameer Nelson Jr. (14 points, 5 assists) were huge in securing the win vs. Oklahoma.
With a 5-10 record in Quad 1 games and plenty of quality wins, the Horned Frogs should be an NCAA Tournament lock and will likely be seeded anywhere from a No. 6 to a No. 10.
For the Sooners, it could be a long few days before Selection Sunday. After starting 13-1, Porter Moser and Oklahoma now sit at 20-13 and have a record of just 4-12 against Quad 1 teams. The Sooners, though, are undefeated (16-0) against teams in Quads 2-4 and have a NET ranking of 42.
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is set for 6 p.m. ET on this coming Sunday, March 17.
“I feel very confident we’re in,” Moser said postgame. “We should be with our resume.”
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