Here’s what TCU basketball wants to get out of road trip to Las Vegas
TCU basketball isn’t necessarily looking to hit the jackpot on its trip to Las Vegas.
Instead, the Horned Frogs would be more than happy to win a couple of games and take strides in the rebounding department during a quick trip to Sin City.
Despite its 4-0 start, rebounding remains an early-season issue for TCU. Division III Southwestern out-rebounded the Frogs in their opener earlier this month. Then UC Irvine dominated the battle on the boards 44-28 on Thursday.
TCU coach Jamie Dixon pointed to rebounding as a priority as his team plays its first games away from Schollmaier Arena. The Frogs face Clemson at 9:30 p.m. in the MGM Resorts Main Event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and will play either Colorado or Wyoming on Tuesday.
Asked what he wants to see on TCU’s first road trip, Dixon said: “Physicality. Defense. We’ve got to defend pretty good, but we’ve got to come up with rebounds. Those are in the same sentence. They’re together.”
Clemson, which is off to a 4-1 start but is picked to finish 11th in the ACC, is averaging 38 rebounds a game compared to TCU’s 35.3.
But the Frogs feel they have the pieces to become a solid rebounding team. Against UC Irvine, TCU’s top rebounder, Kevin Samuel, got in early foul trouble and played just 14 minutes.
Sophomore forward Jaedon LeDee is another rebounding threat, but he just received his immediate eligibility waiver Monday.
So Thursday night saw senior guard Desmond Bane lead the team with seven rebounds. The 28 rebounds were TCU’s fewest in a win since grabbing 27 against Nevada in an 84-80 victory on Dec. 8, 2017.
Samuel led the team in rebounding the first three games.
A silver lining, though, has been the turnovers forced by TCU early on. Dixon feels that’s part of the reason the rebounding numbers are lower because the Frogs are forcing an average of 20 turnovers a game (which leads the Big 12).
But, as he said after being out-rebounded by 16 on Thursday, “This is not satisfactory.”
Added sophomore guard RJ Nembhard: “To get better, we need to rebound as a team more collectively. We were minus-16, so it can’t happen again, but we were able to get a win tonight.”
Embracing his role
UTA graduate transfer Edric Dennis understands he isn’t going to be the star of this year’s team, and he’s OK with that.
“I’m not trying to come in here and be a superhero,” Dennis said. “It’s the little stuff that needs to be done with this team. We have great players. Look at RJ, look at Desmond Bane, look at Kevin Samuel. We have a great team with a great coach.
“In the past, I’ve been those Desmond Banes and RJ Nembhards, but it’s amazing to see them and co-star along with them and just do the dirty work.”
That’s the leadership and mentality that TCU wanted when it brought in Dennis. So far, so good.
Dennis led the team with eight assists against Louisiana and had six of the 10 assists against UC Irvine.
“He’s good,” Dixon said. “That’s what we like most about him — his confidence, his energy, his enthusiasm. And it’s a team that needed that, because of our youth, and he’s been that.”
Briefly
▪ TCU is 0-2 against Clemson in program history. Clemson had a 125-62 victory on Nov. 25, 1977, and a 70-58 victory on Nov. 15, 2008.
▪ TCU is 22-1 in November in the Dixon era.
▪ TCU will face either Colorado or Wyoming for first place or third place Tuesday night to conclude the MGM Resorts Main Event.
