Defeating an opponent three times? TCU faces tall task vs. Texas in NIT semis
TCU coach Jamie Dixon has already warned his team.
Defeating a team three times in a season ranks as one of the more difficult tasks in college basketball, and that’s what TCU must do in order to get back to the NIT championship game.
TCU swept Texas in the regular season series, and must defeat it again Tuesday night in the NIT semifinals at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
That’s one of the storylines going into the game.
“I told our guys from the beginning, you’re going to get asked that question over and over again,” Dixon said. “It’s tough to beat a team three times in a row. We’re not doing that. We’re playing for one game. That’s all we’re doing.
“The last two don’t matter. They don’t factor into this. We’re a better team now and I believe they think they are too.”
Dixon’s message has been received by his team. The Frogs (23-13) are pleased to have swept Texas (19-16), winning 65-61 in Fort Worth in January and closing the regular-season with a 69-56 victory in Austin, but those won’t factor into this postseason game.
“We’re in a one game season,” junior guard Desmond Bane said. “The other two? It was great to beat them and sweep them, but we’ve got to win this game now. We’re just looking at it as another game now and another game we have to win.”
For historical purposes, it is a rare feat in TCU history to defeat a team three times in a season. The last time the Frogs accomplished the feat was defeating San Jose State three times in the 1999-2000 season.
TCU has never defeated Texas three times in a season. The Longhorns have done so four times against the Frogs in the series history that dates back to the 1914-15 season.
But Dixon has been successful throughout his career against Texas. In his three seasons at TCU, the Frogs are 5-1 against the Longhorns. Dixon also went 7-1 against Texas when he played at TCU.
Factoring in Dixon’s 1-1 record at Pittsburgh against Texas, he has a 12-3 overall record in games played or coached against Texas.
But, as stated, Dixon is not using previous success going into this game. He is practicing what he preaches, as far as what he’s presenting to his team.
“We’re not showing any clips of those first two games,” Dixon said. “We’re showing what Texas did against Colorado.
“The message is -- it’s not about the last two, it’s about this one coming up.”
Texas has a different approach, understandably. It’s easy motivation for a team to get fired up to defeat a team that’s beaten it twice. Especially a conference rival.
As Texas coach Shaka Smart put it, “If the motivation isn’t there at this time of year to play a conference opponent that beat us two times this year, then whoever that is needs a lobotomy.”