After No. 10 Texas Tech lays it on TCU, ‘We got what we deserved’
TCU was hoping for a Big Monday repeat performance at Schollmaier Arena.
Instead, it was Texas Tech that put on the show Saturday afternoon.
The No. 10 Red Raiders (19-4, 7-3 in the Big 12) outplayed the Horned Frogs (16-7, 4-6) on both ends of the court and coasted to a 83-71 win.
“We just got beat and we got beat bad,” a baffled TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “We played horribly and they played good. You can analyze it however you want but there wasn’t anything we did well today. Texas Tech played good and they are good. So combine those two with the fact that we had our worst performance of the year.”
It was a head-scratching letdown by TCU, which was hoping to build off a raucous upset of then-No. 7 West Virginia on Jan. 22.
The packed crowd, which included a small but vocal Texas Tech contingent, was taken out of action early by the Red Raiders, who went on an 18-0 run midway through the first half to build a 24-9 lead. TCU didn’t score for over six minutes during the stretch, leaving Frogs’ fans with little to do but sit in awe of Tech’s prowess from the 3-point arc.
“Our energy was low from the jump and they were able to jump out to an early lead,” said TCU guard Desmond Bane, who led the Frogs with 10 points. “It’s something we’ve got to find within ourselves. It’s a toughness thing.”
It doesn’t get any easier for TCU, who play at No. 7 Kansas on Tuesday.
“We weren’t good and I don’t want take away from Texas Tech, but we got outplayed in every way,” Dixon said. “It’s one loss; we played horribly, but we have to get ready tomorrow for our next one against Kansas.”
TCU fans didn’t get a chance to come alive until the Frogs cut the deficit to 13 with seven minutes remaining.
TCU looked tentative from the jump and Tech looked sure-handed. The Frogs had 11 turnovers in the first half while the Red Raiders made 8 of 13 3-point attempts at the break. The Frogs finished with 17 turnovers and the Red Raiders scored 22 points off of them, including 18 in the decisive first half.
TCU was held to 15 points fewer than its average this season. The 24 points at the half are the fewest for the Frogs this season.
“So we got what we deserved,” Dixon said. “The 11 turnovers early killed us. We just have to have a better understanding of what we’re doing [defensively]. I thought we had made strides last week. I didn’t see this coming. Give [Texas Tech] credit, they made some mid-range jump shots and some 3s early and that bothers us.
Stefan Stevenson: 817-390-7760, @StevensonFWST
TEXAS TECH (19-4): Gray 3-5 1-2 7, Odiase 0-1 2-2 2, Zh.Smith 5-8 1-2 12, Culver 5-7 6-6 20, Evans 6-14 4-5 17, Hamilton 2-6 1-1 6, Stevenson 3-6 0-0 7, Moretti 2-3 2-3 7, Francis 2-5 0-0 5, Webster 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-55 17-21 83.
TCU (16-7): Miller 2-5 0-0 5, Brodziansky 6-9 6-8 18, Bane 5-6 1-1 13, Robinson 3-9 1-3 7, Williams 4-10 2-4 12, Noi 2-5 2-4 7, Hamdy 2-5 1-2 5, Olden 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 25-51 15-24 71.
Halftime—Texas Tech 48-24. 3-Point Goals—Texas Tech 10-22 (Culver 4-5, Zh.Smith 1-1, Stevenson 1-2, Moretti 1-2, Hamilton 1-3, Francis 1-4, Evans 1-5), TCU 6-12 (Bane 2-2, Williams 2-3, Miller 1-2, Noi 1-3, Robinson 0-1, Olden 0-1). Fouled Out—Odiase. Rebounds—Texas Tech 24 (Odiase 5), TCU 31 (Williams 13). Assists—Texas Tech 17 (Evans 6), TCU 19 (Robinson 6). Total Fouls—Texas Tech 20, TCU 20. Technicals—Odiase. A—7,178 (7,201).
This story was originally published February 3, 2018 at 3:07 PM with the headline "After No. 10 Texas Tech lays it on TCU, ‘We got what we deserved’."