Lack of execution, 3-point defense doom TCU in loss to Texas
The TCU men’s basketball team has a set number of goals every time it steps on the court.
The Horned Frogs want to limit opposing teams to five 3-pointers or less. They want to win the rebounding battle. They want to execute in late-game situations.
TCU failed in achieving those goals on Wednesday night, as Texas escaped with a 62-61 victory at Schollmaier Arena.
“As I told our guys, we can’t go into games where certain things we have to do, that we’re going to do, and not even come close to fulfilling those goals,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said.
Instead of holding Texas to less than five 3-pointers, the Longhorns drained 11-of-22 from long range, including five by junior guard Jase Febres.
Instead of dominating the boards against the Big 12’s worst rebounding team in Texas, TCU lost the rebounding battle 32-31.
Instead of salvaging the game with a chance to score the go-ahead basket with six seconds left, TCU turned it over on a traveling violation.
All of it culminated in becoming a disappointing loss for a TCU team that will likely look back on this night as a pivotal blow to its NCAA Tournament dreams. The Horned Frogs (13-7, 4-3 Big 12) have now lost four of their last five.
Texas (13-7, 3-4 Big 12), meanwhile, snapped a three-game losing streak and earned its first victory in Fort Worth since 2015.
“It hurts,” TCU senior guard Desmond Bane said. “You don’t want to give up home games, but we’re going to have to steal one on the road now. We’ll bounce back.”
TCU got off to a slow start, especially when Bane picked up his second foul at the 8:53-mark of the first half. That limited him to just 10 minutes in the opening half.
Texas ended up taking a 28-27 lead into the locker rooms after Febres connected on a deep 3 with five seconds left.
The Longhorns then led by as many as 10, taking a 45-35 lead with 12:51 left in the second half. They went on an 8-0 run that featured three fast-break layups by Courtney Ramey, Donovan Williams and Kai Jones.
But TCU battled back.
The Horned Frogs tied the game at 59-59 on a 3-pointer by RJ Nembhard with 2:22 left. Texas, though, answered on the next possession with a 3-pointer by Febres with 1:49 left as the shot clock ran down.
“Being able to answer them back, shut their crowd up. Felt good,” Febres said.
Dixon felt Texas making the “desperation” 3-pointers late in the shot clock had to do with TCU’s early struggles in defending the perimeter. Once a team gains confidence, the ball seems to go in more often.
“We have to do things better from the start and put yourself in position if those things occur where you can find ways,” Dixon said. “We just aren’t doing that. I thought our defense was a step slow, not active enough.”
Febres’ 3 proved to be the game-winning shot as Texas needed just three points in the final 4:01 to hold on for the victory.
TCU had chances late, pulling to within 62-61 with two free throws by Nembhard with 1:19 left.
But the Frogs missed a 3-pointer by Bane with 55 seconds left and, following an offensive rebound, freshman guard Francisco Farabello missed a jumper with 36 seconds left.
TCU had a final chance for the go-ahead basket with six seconds left, but Nembhard was called for a traveling violation with 1.7 seconds remaining.
Dixon wasn’t pleased with the execution on the final play.
“The space wasn’t there,” he said. “It’s not where we wanted to be. I thought we got a pretty good space when we got the catch, but we operated too far to the sideline. That’s why we were in a bad spot.”
On the other side, Texas coach Shaka Smart liked the defensive execution. He knew that play is something TCU likes to run in those situations, comparing it to the 2018 game in Austin when former TCU guard Jaylen Fisher missed a layup at the buzzer.
“Our guys did a good job on the switch when they came off the pick-and-roll,” Smart said. “I didn’t see his feet, but obviously the key was staying in front and not letting him have a clear path to the basket.”
TCU returns to action at No. 1 Baylor on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. in Waco.
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 9:22 PM.
