Big Apple return: TCU punches ticket to NIT semis with rout of Creighton

Hello, New York City. Again.

TCU is returning to famed Madison Square Garden next week for the NIT semifinals, thanks in large part to sophomore forward Kouat Noi breaking out of a mini-slump Tuesday night.

Noi knocked down shot after shot in his best game of the postseason, carrying the Frogs to a 71-58 victory over Creighton at Schollmaier Arena.

“The last few games, I wasn’t really shooting it,” Noi said. “Tonight I came out with a better mindset and just knocked down some shots.”

Because of that, TCU (23-13) is now making its second trip in three seasons to New York, winning the championship in 2017. The Frogs will face the winner of Wednesday’s Texas/Colorado game in Austin on Tuesday, April 2 at MSG.

Creighton (20-15) is the fifth team that TCU has held under 60 points this season.

More important, TCU continues to send its desired message to the NCAA Tournament selection committee that it deserved to be in the Big Dance.

“We’re sending a perfect message to them,” senior forward JD Miller said. “We got snubbed out of the tournament. We’ve got something to prove going up to New York and winning the whole thing.”

TCU senior point guard Alex Robinson said the team would like to run through the NIT with double-digit wins every time. Three down, two to go.

That’s mindset sits well with coach Jamie Dixon.

“I want to play as well as we can,” Dixon said. “That’s an accomplishment [to win by double figures]. That’s not an easy thing to do.”

TCU’s journey back to the Big Apple went through the state of Nebraska. TCU ran away from Nebraska on Sunday night, and then pulled away in similar fashion against Creighton.

TCU looked like a team hungry to get back, opening the second half with a 16-0 run.

Noi started the rally by draining a 3-pointer. On the next possession, Noi drew a foul on a 3-pointer and made every attempt.

A missed 3-pointer by Creighton led to a putback dunk by Kevin Samuel, and a Creighton turnover turned into a dunk by Miller.

Creighton called a timeout after Miller’s dunk, but that didn’t stop the onslaught. TCU turned another missed 3-pointer by Creighton into a layup by Desmond Bane, and then Samuel made one of two free throws.

Fittingly, Noi capped the run by draining a 3-pointer for a 46-33 lead with 16:04 left.

Creighton didn’t score its first points of the half until a 3-pointer by Mitch Ballock with 15:56 left.

TCU maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way.

Noi made his sixth 3-pointer of the game for a 52-41 lead with 12:59 left, his most 3-pointers since a career-high eight at Oklahoma on Jan. 12.

Noi finished with 25 points, his most since that Jan. 12 game at Oklahoma, scoring 13 in the first half and 12 in the second half. This is a guy who entered the game having made just 4-of-23 3-point attempts in the previous three games.

“I sat down and watched Kouat, and he played very well last game,” Dixon said. “He just didn’t make shots. He’s been going to the glass. We’ve been happy with how he’s been playing.

“Even if he’s missing shots, you’ve got to guard him. Again, I told him, ‘You played well. Just get in a rhythm.’”

Miller finished with 15 points for the Frogs, and Robinson had 12 points and set a career-high with 11 rebounds.

TCU got off to a sluggish start in the first half, making just 1-of-7 field goal attempts early on. But the Frogs’ defense played well and the offense made enough 3-pointers to stay in it.

TCU had a 9-2 run, highlighted with two 3-pointers by Noi, to pull within 27-26 with 5:27 left. But the Frogs made just one field goal in the final five minutes of the first half, but were trailing just 33-30 at half.

Asked his halftime message, Dixon said: “I said, ‘We’re lucky we’re down three.’ We played horribly. We were really sloppy early.”

This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 10:04 PM.