TCU’s Dixon seeks faster starts as remedy for close losses

TCU men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon says his team can end its seven-game losing streak against conference opponents and make a significant run toward a title in this week’s Big 12 tournament by making minimal corrections to the way it is playing upon arrival in Kansas City, Mo.

TCU (17-14) has a 5-7 mark in games decided by single-digit margins in Big 12 play but has lost its last four matchups that fit that category. The streak includes TCU’s last three games, losses to No. 10 West Virginia (61-60), Kansas State (75-74) and Oklahoma (73-68).

“It’s certainly an even-matched league in a lot of ways. The closeness of the games has been constant,” Dixon said. “We’ve just gotten on the bad end of it and we can’t seem to get that play down the stretch. In the last couple, especially.

“What I told our guys is we can’t be in a position where we’re relying on one play at the end. It’s got to be us deciding the game in the first 40 minutes. Make that play in the initial minute so it doesn’t come down to a tie game at the end and the play goes their way. That’s where we need to be.”

TCU opens the Big 12 tournament with a Wednesday matchup against Oklahoma (11-19) in the Sprint Center (6 p.m., ESPNU).

This story was originally published March 6, 2017 at 9:03 AM with the headline "TCU’s Dixon seeks faster starts as remedy for close losses."