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David Punch injury update: TCU forward bloodied after elbow to face from Cam Boozer, flagrant foul called

Danby: Daniel Hager03/21/26DanielHagerOn3

TCU forward David Punch took a gnarly shot to the face from Duke star forward Cameron Boozer in the first half of Saturday afternoon’s Second Round game. Punch was bloodied and helped to the locker room by trainers.

For the action, Boozer was assessed a Flagrant 1. Prior to suffering the injury, Punch scored two points and grabbed one rebound in 13 minutes.

“You saw him bleeding profusely and he was helped to the locker room,” CBS’ Tracy Wolfson said. “He couldn’t really walk under his own power because he was holding that towel directly over his face. He went in there for a few minutes, and they tended to him. He has a plug in that nostril. I was given the okay and was told he’s okay to go back in.”

CBS’ rules analyst, Gene Steratore, did not agree with the Flagrant 1 call on Boozer.

“It just doesn’t feel, to me, that it’s the traditional kind of swinging elbow play,” Steratore said. “The one thing I’m sure they’re contemplating is because Boozer’s elbow gets up high, and because he’s making contact to the head. I don’t think the drawing of blood would draw a lot. When you see the elbow lift that high, is it unnecessary. Is it excessive? To me, it doesn’t seem that excessive because of the contact to head or neck.”

David Punch returned to court for TCU following shot to face

Punch was massive in TCU‘s First Round victory over No. 8 seed Ohio State on Thursday. The sophomore contributed 16 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and recorded the game-winning assist to teammate Xavier Edmonds with just four seconds remaining in regulation. The Horned Frogs advanced to the Second Round for the first time since 2023.

He eventually returned to the court just before halftime for the Horned Frogs.

“I think (Cam Boozer) is a lot like us, just how he creates his shots,” Punch said prior to the matchup. “I’m excited to see me and (Xavier Edmonds) go up against him. It’s a great opportunity for me and him to showcase how good we are on a stage like that. Again, I’m really excited to see how this plays out tomorrow.”

TCU is seeking its first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1968. Jamie Dixon has more than proven he’s the guy for the job in Fort Worth, as he’s led the Horned Frogs to a 199-137 record and five NCAA Tournament appearances across 10 seasons.