Moments That Popped: No. 22 Kansas 104, TCU 100 - OT

It wasn't quite the Devonte' Graham game against West Virginia, but it was damn close.

If anything, this KU team might've looked even more dead in the water on Tuesday night against TCU at Allen Fieldhouse than Graham's team did.

But both nights required an epic comeback. And Kansas got it both times, surviving a lethargic night and a serious scare, 104-100 in overtime.

KU came back from 14 down with 2:58 to play to beat West Virginia back in 2017. On Tuesday, these Jayhawks erased a 9-point deficit with 2:25 to play, which, just a couple of minutes earlier was a 15-point KU deficit, as well.

The Jayhawks did most of the heavy lifting in their comeback with star freshman Darryn Peterson on the bench. Peterson exited with 2:25 to play after scoring 29 points because, according to KU coach Bill Self, he started cramping or felt the cramps coming on. He had played 32 minutes up to that point but mustered the ability to play the final 5 of regulation, when KU had a chance to tie the game with a late 3-pointer after a TCU turnover forced by Elmarko Jackson on an inbounds pass.

The ball was inbounded to Flory Bidunga from near the Kansas bench and he handed the ball to Peterson, who elevated for a 3-point try and was fouled in the process. Peterson drilled all three free throws to tie the game before sitting out the overtime period.

Self said it was Peterson's decision to sit late and that he also wanted to check back in for KU's final point-scoring possession of regulation. Whether he wanted to or not, it's likely that Self would've put Peterson on the floor for that possession anyway.

Asked if anyone said anything to Peterson before the free throws, Melvin Council Jr. said, "Ohhh no. He's ice-cold blooded. He got it."

There'll be time for a deep-dive analysis of the comeback a little later. For now, here's a look back at some of the more memorable moments from a wild night that left KU coach Bill Self calling his team a laundry list of unflattering things but also saying he was proud of how they fought — and became a team — and happy that his team got lucky.

The win moved Kansas to 11-4 overall and 1-1 in Big 12 play.

Here's a look back at some of Tuesday's action.

LIKES

• Melvin Council in attack mode - His late bucket that cut the TCU lead to 11 (82-71) brought a little life back into the building. more importantly, it came as the result of Melvin doing what he does best. Playing fast and attacking downhill. He hadn't done much of that all night and KU desperately needed it. Peterson was good, though not that efficient, but it's clear that KU's going to need both DP and Melvin to be playing at a high level for this team to be competitive. That play unlocked the door for the Kansas comeback and also unleashed the man they like to call the dog. Council scored 9 of KU's 17 points in OT and finished the night with 18 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds — with just 1 turnover — in 41 minutes. He was exhausted after the victory but also a very happy Jayhawk.

• Late 1st-half run, late 2nd–half run – Sparked by DP 3. Everything came easier from there. For him and everybody else, too. TCU led for 35:45 of the 45-minute game, prompting KU coach Bill Self to say the Horned Frogs were better than his team for 35 minutes before adding that KU was quite a bit better for 10 minutes. "Our defense was awful. We were soft and we didn't rebound and were not very competitive. A lot of things. Pouty. Body language sucked. Then for some reason the switch flipped, and then down the stretch a couple of good things happened. Next thing you know, the crowd feels it a little bit and guys start playing with reckless abandon and play great. It was as good an exciting win as we've had." KU outscored TCU 21-8 to close the first half and then 20-5 in 4:38 at the end of regulation. All of it improbable, with KU needing every TCU missed free throw and turnover to survive. They got 'em. As teams tend to do in Allen Fieldhouse. And the rest is history.

• Peterson competes - The big question about Peterson, tonight and every day, was how much he was going to be able to play with his cramps issue still affecting him. That question was answered with another big first half, and, more important than any of it, was the fact that Peterson showed a willingness to flat-out compete on just about every possession. He wasn't perfect. He still looks to be bothered by his conditioning in some areas. And he had an off night shooting the ball (8-for-18). But he got to the free throw line 15 times, finished with 32 points, battled on defense, scrapped for loose balls, blocked shots and tried to get going on offense in a number of different ways — rhythm 3s, hard drives to the rim, jumpers and more. He has to play for this team to reach its ceiling and he did that in this one. Now, they've got to piece it all together and find a flow as a team. It'll take some time. No doubt about it. But it'll be easier to do with the Jayhawks' best player leading by this kind of example. He didn't play the entire time. In fact, most of KU's comeback was with him on the bench. But he came back in to force OT and finished the 45-minute game with 32 minutes played. Progress.

• Beautiful 'Scooter' tributes - There were several nice tributes to the late Scott "Scooter" Ward, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 59. Ward, the longtime KU academic adviser, who was known for his positivity and friend-to-everyone persona, was honored with a moment of silence before the game and an "SW" patch on the Jayhawks' jerseys. Beyond that, there was a video montage of classic Scooter photos shown on the video board and a No. 1 blue Kansas jersey stretched out over a chair near the KU bench, where Scooter often sat during KU home games. All of those were great and clearly meant a lot to a lot of people in the building on Tuesday night, but, by far the most impactful tribute came when his wife, Robin, and mother, along with a team of Scooter's doctors and caretakers were introduced to the Allen Fieldhouse crowd during the game's first television timeout. As Scooter would've wanted, the emotional moment was greeted by big smiles and loud applause, including from those being introduced. This won't be the last time he's honored and remembered inside Allen Fieldhouse, but it was a pretty memorable first time. After the game, Self mentioned Scooter again, saying he couldn't help but think that KU's No. 1 fan of the last quarter century was looking down on the team tonight to help will them to this win.

DISLIKES

• TCU getting whatever it wants - There were so many moments early in the game, and throughout the game, really, when the Horned Frogs got easy looks right at the rim and converted. That's been an issue for KU's defense this season against most teams, and it certainly was a problem again in this one. Most of the issue started at the rim. But it extended to TCU getting some crazy-wide-open 3-point looks and hitting a bunch of them. The Frogs played like a team in control and gained confidence from every possession and, of course, the made buckets.

• Defensive rebounding a problem... again - It's not that the Jayhawks necessarily got obliterated on the offensive glass (TCU won the battle 43-38 and 16-9 on the offensive glass), but so many of those TCU offensive boards came at key times and with Kansas players standing flat-footed. There still are just far too many times when the Jayhawks play good defense to the point of the shot but can't finish the possession by cleaning up the glass. That's not the kind of pattern you want your team to fall into and the Jayhawks are in danger of doing it. KU has out-rebounded its opponents in 10 of the 14 games they've played so far this season. But those key misses on the defensive glass have often been the difference between making things easy and finding themselves in a bit of a grind.

• That 2nd half start - After fighting like mad to claim a 5-point halftime lead, the Jayhawks came out a little lazy, sluggish and sloppy to start the second half. And they paid for it dearly. TCU, which led for 15:10 in the first half, hit Kansas with a quick 6-0 run to reclaim the lead and that, not too long later, turned into the Horned Frogs leading by double digits for a long stretch. Self called timeout after the 6-0 run, but the damage had been done. TCU was the aggressor and played like the much more hungry team throughout the second half.

WHAT THE?

• TCU played looser, tougher and with more desire - We sure haven't seen a ton of that throughout Self's time in charge of the Kansas program. And it's been even more rare to see it from KU's opponent inside Allen Fieldhouse. But there it was in plain sight, all over the Allen Fieldhouse floor on Tuesday night. This team, right now, is a victim of timing. Usually by now, Self's teams are hitting their stride and starting to come together. But because this group has been hampered by the Darryn Peterson situation for the first 15 games of the season, it's almost like they're starting from scratch. It'll take a big effort to catch up and get back on schedule. But this win, and the crazy way they got it, certainly made up a little ground. "The best thing that potentially happened tonight was we became a team," Self said before emphasizing the potential part of the quote. "That's the best thing that potentially happened. It remains to be seen if we are, but that was pretty special."

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