Longhorns take down the Frogs to capture the No. 3 seed in Big 12 Tournament
FORT WORTH, Texas (BVM) — On March 7, a classic Big 12 Conference rivalry was renewed on the hardwood when TCU faced off against No. 15 ranked Texas in Ed Schollmaier Arena (Fort Worth).
TCU had lost five of their last six games and held an overall record of 12-12. Texas had won four of their last five and was playing with an overall record of 16-7. TCU had yet to beat a ranked opponent this season, so the Frogs were looking for an impactful win in the last game of their regular season.
Meanwhile, the Longhorns were looking to add another win to capture the three seed in the Big 12 Tournament.
Both teams came out of the gate strong offensively, making a majority of their first shots. There was great pace from both sides as both teams were capitalizing off of rebounds and turnovers.
Texas jumped ahead early, leading TCU 17-11 at the halfway point of the first half because of costly turnovers by the Frogs and stellar play from Kai Jones and Jericho Sims.
Sims led the Longhorns with 10 points in the first half. His versatile play was seen on both ends of the court.
With time running out in the first half, TCU was able to tie the game. Mike Miles played a great first half, going 2-4 from three and led the Frogs with seven points. But was able to recapture the lead going into halftime. The Longhorns led TCU 33-29 at the end of the first half.
TCU turned the ball over 10 times in the first half. Something you can’t do and it cost the Frogs in the first half.
The second half was more of the same. The Longhorns dominated both sides of the ball. They went on a 10-3 run at the halfway point of the second half to give them a 57-43 lead.
Texas wouldn’t waiver as they went on to beat TCU 76-64. The Longhorns earned the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and improved to 17-7. TCU fell to 12-13 and held the No. 8 seed.
Texas had five players reach double digits. Andrew Jones led the Longhorns with 16 points. The versatile play of Jericho Sims was on full display, as he scored 13 points. For the Frogs, bad shooting and turnovers are what hurt them the most this game. They had a total of 22 turnovers and shot 24-51 (47.1%) from the field compared to Texas shooting 30-56 (53.6%).
TCU freshman Mike Miles had a strong game for the Frogs, scoring 12 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, and dishing out 4 assists.
Texas Head Coach Shaka Smart said that he is proud of the way his team responded to TCU’s big plays tonight, also adding that the team still has improvements needed
“The biggest thing is continuing to get more and more connected on the offensive and defensive end,” Smart said in the post-game interview. “We have to continue to help each other.”
“When what’s different about this season being affected by COVID-19, Smart replied. “It is more mental than physical, it is a daily and hourly thing to put the team and winning above everything else.”
Both teams have competed in the Big 12 Tournament. Texas was awarded a No.3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. TCU’s season has ended.
