TCU basketball is going for the right kind of history against No. 2 Baylor
The TCU men’s basketball team has been baffling to watch this season.
The Horned Frogs (15-13, 6-9 Big 12) lost by 32 points at West Virginia last month, and then knocked off the then-No. 17 Mountaineers in overtime this month in Fort Worth.
They looked like an NCAA Tournament-caliber team in defeating then-No. 18 Texas Tech last month in Fort Worth, and then sustained the program’s worst loss in 42 years in Lubbock earlier this month.
Maybe it’s simply playing in the friendly confines of Schollmaier Arena. TCU is looking to pull off another stunner in Fort Worth when No. 2 Baylor (25-2, 14-1) visits on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
If TCU somehow pulls off the upset, it’ll be the first time in program history that it’s defeated three ranked teams in a season.
“It’s going to be a good one, having a ranked team like that come into our home,” said TCU center Kevin Samuel, who is averaging 10.4 points and 8.7 rebounds this season.
“We’ve already beat two ranked teams at home. It’s something that we’re going to try and do, knock off another ranked team at home.”
The Horned Frogs, who are 13-4 at home and 1-8 on the road this season, lost to the Bears 68-52 earlier this month in Waco. But they flashed signs of being able to hang with them.
It was a 17-17 game with eight minutes left in the first half when Baylor pulled away on a 14-0 run. The Bears led by at least six points the rest of the way, although the Frogs were within 60-52 with 3:42 left.
But Baylor closed on an 8-0 run for the 16-point victory.
For TCU, it simply can’t afford to have scoring droughts and allow teams to go on early runs like Baylor did. A similar thing happened on Tuesday night in Ames, Iowa, as Iowa State built an early 18-point lead and outlasted TCU down the stretch.
“We have to come out aggressive from the jump and not get down,” Samuel said. “We don’t want to play from behind. We have to come out and execute.”
Sometimes easier said than done, especially for a TCU team that is seeing its point guard depth tested.
Freshman Francisco Farabello (concussion) will miss his second consecutive game on Saturday, while RJ Nembhard (groin) is questionable. Nembhard didn’t practice this week and will be a game-time decision, coach Jamie Dixon said.
But Dixon and Samuel both stressed that the goals remain the same for TCU. Getting a bye in the Big 12 tournament remains within reach and, at that point, anything can happen.
Maybe the Frogs get hot at the right time and win three games to win the conference tournament and secure an NCAA Tournament bid. Or even something short of that possibly lands them in the NIT.
“The goals haven’t changed,” Samuel said. “Anything can still happen.”
Added Dixon: “We were playing for fourth place [in the Big 12] at Iowa State. That was our mentality.”
Bane’s leadership
Dixon made it a point to praise senior guard Desmond Bane earlier this week, saying Bane was the driving force in TCU overcoming the 18-point deficit at Iowa State.
Bane’s leadership in the midst of a number of these losses has been invaluable, too. This is a guy who ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring (15.9 points) and is also averaging career-bests in rebounds (6.4) and assists (3.8).
“He’s been tremendous,” Dixon said. “He’s showing that even as a senior you can improve as a player. The things he’s doing off the dribble, his rebounding numbers are going up as the year has gone on. He’s been terrific.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 5:08 PM.
