LAWRENCE, Kan. — Even the most die-hard of TCU basketball fans had to see this coming.
The Horned Frogs stunned the basketball world on Feb. 6 when they upset then-fifth-ranked Kansas in Fort Worth.Saturday afternoon, on their storied home court, the Jayhawks exacted revenge.Kansas came out fast, furious and with authority to pick apart TCU 74-48 before 16,300 at Allen Fieldhouse.The No. 9 Jayhawks had the look of a team hungry to avenge the upset and led 11-0 less than four minutes into the game. It wasn’t only the score, but how KU built its lead that made it clear there would be no miracle repeat. Five of Kansas’ first six field goals were dunks, including two back-to-back by center Jeff Withey and a highlight-reel dunk on a rebound from Kevin Young. KU built leads of 13-2, 20-5 and finished the first half on an 18-0 run over a span of 8:37 to lead 38-9.“Obviously, they were upset,” TCU coach Trent Johnson deadpanned to open his news conference. “I don't know for what.”He was, of course, joking. But Withey, who led KU with 18 points, said the upset was a motivation.“When we were down there they came out and kind of hit us in the mouth,” he said. “Today, we came out with a lot of energy and had a really quick start. We learned from the loss down there and [the three-game losing streak]. This experience has led to us winning four in a row now.”The Frogs’ nine first-half points are the fewest in TCU history — at least since the statistic has been kept dating to the 1970s. The new low breaks the previous low of 11 points, set in the first half on Feb. 11 at Oklahoma. It’s the fewest first-half points allowed by KU in its Big 12 history and fewest since the Jayhawks held Cornell to nine points in the second half Jan. 2, 1996.“I don’t think we were mad. I just think we wanted to play well and not allow them to play well,” KU coach Bill Self said. “I think [Jayhawks players] were looking forward to playing a team that beat us. We had shown them enough video to have reminders of that.”The Jayhawks (23-4, 11-3 Big 12) were the polar opposite of the team that TCU beat 17 days prior. KU scored 13 first-half points then, a program-low dating to 1989. KU had 13 points 5:37 into Saturday’s game.“The first half, that’s as focused as we’ve been at both ends as far as consistency in a long time,” Self said. “That’s the best we’ve executed and moved the ball and the most active we’ve been defensively.”TCU (10-17, 1-13) outscored KU 39-36 in the second half, as Kyan Anderson scored all 11 of his points after the break. No TCU starter scored in the first half. Devonta Abron, who scored a career-high 18 points and led the Frogs with nine rebounds, scored seven of the Frogs’ first-half points.“We struggle to score, especially when we’re playing against people like that, who can guard and who can defend,” Johnson said. “In the first half, I thought it was hard for us to get a wing entry [pass], let alone a shot up.”TCU will host Oklahoma State (20-6, 10-4) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.As he was leaving the news conference Johnson quipped that he hoped TCU could muster another win so the Frogs won’t have to open the Big 12 tournament against Kansas in a No. 1 vs. No. 10 seed scenario. For Self, whose team has won four consecutive games and remains atop the league, he probably doesn’t mind, just as long as he’s not asked about that TCU upset anymore.“It’ll hopefully not be discussed much moving forward,” he said. “We just need to start thinking positive thoughts.”Stefan Stevenson, 817-390-7760 Twitter: @FollowtheFrogs
