After first loss, TCU seeks to rebound in matchup with Wofford

As players prepare to respond to their first loss under his direction, TCU men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon remains philosophical about the Horned Frogs’ direction heading into Saturday’s game against Wofford.

“It’s where we go from here. We’ve got to be better,” said Dixon, whose team returns to Fort Worth for Saturday’s matchup against the Terriers (4 p.m., Schollmaier Arena) after falling to SMU, 74-59, on Wednesday night in Dallas. “It’s more important how you play out the year than one game.”

Dixon cited evidence that the Mustangs “learned from some of their losses” in Wednesday’s matchup and said the Horned Frogs (8-1) must have a similar epiphany in the wake of their setback to a longtime rival. Wofford (3-6) reached the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 2015 but is winless in matchups against Division I opponents this season.

TCU, a strong defensive team throughout most of its eight-game winning streak to open the season, forced a season-low five turnovers and was out-rebounded, 34-31, in Wednesday’s loss to the Mustangs (7-3). The Frogs scored a season-low 59 points and showed too much indecision on both ends of the floor to satisfy their coach.

“We just did not seem like we knew what we wanted to do, offensively and defensively,” Dixon said. “It’s our first loss. Now, we’ve got an opportunity for us to learn from it and do something about it.”

TCU remains within striking distance of the Top 25 if the Frogs can regain their winning ways. The Horned Frogs, which began the week as one of 11 undefeated teams in the nation before the loss to SMU, received 33 votes in this week’s Associated Press poll and would be No. 29 if the rankings extended past a Top 25.

TCU is 6-0 in home games this season.

This story was originally published December 9, 2016 at 12:40 PM with the headline "After first loss, TCU seeks to rebound in matchup with Wofford."