TCU completes season sweep of Texas in lopsided fashion 78-63

TCU turned back the clock and turned up the heat in the Horned Frogs’ pursuit of an NCAA Tournament berth Saturday at Schollmaier Arena.

The Horned Frogs knocked off Texas 78-63 to complete the first season sweep of the Longhorns in 30 years by the men’s basketball program.

Led by a team-high 18 points from forward Vladimir Brodziansky, the Horned Frogs (16-7, 5-5 Big 12) broke open a one-point game over the final 14 minutes, 14 seconds and posted their first double-digit victory against a Big 12 opponent under new coach Jamie Dixon.

Mix in the TCU football team’s 31-9 triumph in Austin in November and Saturday marked the first time for the Horned Frogs to sweep the Longhorns in football and men’s basketball in the same school year since 1958-59.

TCU did so while decked out in throwback uniforms from that era, adding the final bit of irony to the role reversal theme on a day when the Longhorns (9-14, 3-7) were outshot, outplayed and outrebounded.

Based on the reaction from the announced crowd of 6,507 (capacity: 6,700), which serenaded the Longhorns with chants of “Just like football” over the final 90 seconds, the purple partisans were satisfied with what they saw Saturday after recent home losses to No. 2 Baylor and Auburn.

Asked if this team is tracking toward a berth in the NCAA Tournament, Dixon said: “Yeah. There’s no question.”

But he added that the Frogs “can’t have any more” surprise losses between now and the start of March Madness, as they did in last week’s 88-80 setback to Auburn, if they want to earn the school’s first NCAA berth since 1998.

Dixon’s team received kudos Saturday from Texas coach Shaka Smart, who vouched for the Frogs’ NCAA-worthy pedigree, as well as from former Frogs’ standout Kurt Thomas, a 1995 All-American who had his No. 40 jersey retired in a halftime ceremony.

Thomas, who played 18 seasons in the NBA, offered a thumbs-up for Dixon in turning around a program that entered the season with a combined Big 12 record of 8-64.

“As of right now, he’s doing an excellent job,” Thomas said. “I like the way they defend. They really share the ball. We’ve got to always be patient with a coach, but he’s doing pretty good.”

Robinson (17 points, eight assists) and point guard Jaylen Fisher (12 points, five assists) joined Brodziansky as double-digit scorers on Saturday. TCU finished with a 36-29 edge on the boards and shot 51.7 percent from the field, reaching the 50 percent mark for a third consecutive game after a recent shooting slump.

“It feels way better when you’re shooting good. It gives us confidence,” said Brodziansky, who connected on 6 of 11 shots. “We played hard and we executed.”

The Frogs built on momentum generated by Wednesday’s 86-80 overtime victory at Kansas State, which Dixon called “a sign of maturity” for a team that has no seniors in its typical starting lineup. Against Texas, the Frogs trailed for only 23 seconds and took the lead for good, 5-2, on Robinson’s 3-pointer with 17:46 remaining in the first half.

Robinson, a Texas A&M transfer and Mansfield Timberview graduate, cited an intangible vibewith helping the Frogs.

“It feels awesome,” Robinson said. “Most of that has to go to the fans. They were extremely loud and that really helped push us. The home-court advantage is huge.”

Big enough Saturday to help carry the Frogs to their first season sweep of Texas in 30 years.

This story was originally published February 4, 2017 at 6:03 PM with the headline "TCU completes season sweep of Texas in lopsided fashion 78-63."