Texas Tech routs TCU 84-65, handing Frogs worst loss of season

TCU coach Jamie Dixon had a simple explanation for what happened Monday night.

“We got what we deserved,” Dixon said. “We got out-played start to finish. We’re really disappointed in how we played and how we performed.”

Texas Tech put on a basketball clinic in the first half. The Frogs couldn’t find a rhythm offensively against the Red Raiders’ top-ranked defense, and the Red Raiders were hot from 3-point range.

In the end, No. 16 Texas Tech rolled to an 84-65 victory over TCU on Monday night at United Supermarkets Arena.

TCU (15-5, 3-4 Big 12) fell to 0-4 on the road against Big 12 teams. And the program remains in the midst of what is now a 49-game losing streak against ranked opponents on the road, and is 1-84 in program history. The last time the Frogs pulled off the feat was January 1998 at No. 24 Hawaii.

Texas Tech (17-4, 5-3) made sure it wouldn’t be against it even on a night when its best player, sophomore guard Jarrett Culver, didn’t get going until late. Culver had six points on 2 of 7 shooting in the first half, but scored 10 in the final 7:27 to post a game-tying high 18 points.

Make no mistake, though. Tech handed TCU its biggest loss of the season because of its defense. Just like it does to most opponents.

“They were the more aggressive team throughout,” Dixon said. “More physical. Stronger on drives. Defensively, just bigger, stronger and willing to take charges, which they did.”

This is not a new thing, of course.

“Our game plan was out the window within the first five minutes,” Dixon said.

Yes it was. The Red Raiders took control of the game in the opening half.

TCU started OK, taking a 6-2 lead by the 17:35 mark. After that, though, it was all Texas Tech.

The Red Raiders poured in 3-pointer after 3-pointer and the Frogs couldn’t get anything going offensively. It didn’t help that TCU’s two leading scorers, Kouat Noi and Desmond Bane, got in foul trouble early on.

TCU endured an early 4:18 scoring drought, part of a stretch in which it went 6:02 between making baskets from the field. TCU had another scoring drought later in the half that lasted 2:48.

Quite simply, it got out of hand in a hurry.

Texas Tech took a commanding 37-18 lead on consecutive 3-pointers by sophomore guard Davide Moretti, forcing Dixon to call a timeout with 3:51 left in the half.

Any hope of winning looked bleak at that point for TCU. The Frogs’ biggest comeback this season is 11 points in the season opener against CSU Bakersfield. Tech’s biggest blown lead of the season is 13 points at Baylor on Jan. 19.

TCU responded somewhat with a 7-0 run. At that point, it needed a much bigger run to even get back in it. Tech scored the final four points of the half, including Culver driving to the basket at the buzzer, to take a 43-27 lead at the half.

The Red Raiders finished the opening half 7 for 16 from 3-point range, impressive considering the Frogs entered with the Big 12’s second-best perimeter D (27.8 percent). TCU, meanwhile, shot just 2 for 10 from long range. Tech is the best 3-point defending team in the conference, limiting opponents to just 26.1 percent.

TCU made just 8 of 21 from the field in the opening half, the fewest made shots in the opening half this season.

But Dixon pointed to TCU’s defense as the reason why it lost. The 84 points were the most its given up this season.

“They scored so easy; that was the determining factor,” Dixon said.

This story was originally published January 28, 2019 at 10:05 PM.