TCU overwhelms Omaha behind crisp performance
TCU played without one of its best players on Monday night, but the Horned Frogs had plenty of manpower left over to overwhelm in every way an overmatched nonconference opponent.
Vladimir Brodziansky led five Frogs in double figures with 19 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes of TCU’s 99-66 victory over Omaha at Schollmaier Arena.
Desmond Bane had 14 on 5-of-5 shooting, Kenrich Williams had 11 points and six rebounds and six assists, and JD Miller and Ahmed Hamdy each had 10.
All of those guys made it hard to tell that Alex Robinson wasn’t on the floor. Robinson, the Frogs’ floor leader, sat out with a bone bruise in his foot.
Robinson is not expected to miss extended time with the injury. His prognosis is day-to-day, though his healing is “going in the right direction,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said.
The foot was severely swollen the day after TCU’s victory over South Dakota on Wednesday, Dixon said.
“We anticipate him being better. It’s going in the right direction,” Dixon said. “It kind of caught us off-guard. We didn’t know how severe it was based on what he said during [Wednesday’s] game. We’ll see going forward.”
TCU moved to 4-0 in sending Omaha to an 0-5 record. The Mavericks have yet to play at home this season, though they entered having played Louisville well in their last outing.
In Robinson’s place was sophomore Jaylen Fisher, who made his first start since suffering a broken wrist during the Frogs’ championship NIT run last season.
Fisher, who was Robinson’s backcourt mate for much of last season, had nine points and nine assists and earned the praise of Dixon afterward.
TCU also got to see more of some newcomers.
In the rotation was Shawn Olden, a junior-college transfer from New Mexico Junior College who scored his first points, and R.J. Nembhard, a freshman from Keller High School who had six points and two assists.
“The chemistry is always going to be there,” said Fisher. “We still find a way to move the ball and play good defense. That was the key.”
The contest was a second-round game of the Emerald Coast Classic.
TCU heads to Niceville in Florida’s Panhandle for the conclusion of the tournament Friday and Saturday.
A game with New Mexico is first on the itinerary.
The Frogs already have a first-round victory in the tournament, a blowout of Tennessee Tech on Nov. 13.
TCU shot 53 percent while scoring 36 points off 26 Omaha turnovers. Collectively, the Frogs had 26 assists.
A week after causing Dixon angst with 16 turnovers, TCU cleaned up its ballhandling with a more manageable 12 against the Mavericks, though Dixon said he wants to see that number at a maximum of 10.
“We want to get more turnovers,” Dixon said. “Getting a few more deflections is something that will help our defense and our offense as well. We’re putting a much bigger emphasis than I ever have as a coach. That’s something we’re really trying to get more of. Hopefully, it continues.”
The Frogs shot 16-of-20 from the free-throw line.
This story was originally published November 20, 2017 at 10:53 PM with the headline "TCU overwhelms Omaha behind crisp performance."