TCU basketball routs Seton Hall to win its first NCAA Tournament game in 35 years
The drought is over.
TCU basketball won its first NCAA Tournament game this century, ending what had become a 35-year drought between March Madness victories. And the Horned Frogs left little doubt in the process.
TCU showcased its athleticism in running past Seton Hall, 69-42, on Friday night at Viejas Arena. It’s the Frogs first victory in March Madness since knocking off Marshall in 1987. TCU coach Jamie Dixon was a player on that ‘87 team.
“It’s been 35 years ... 35 years,” TCU junior forward Emanuel Miller said. “That’s crazy. It’s crazy. It’s been a long time coming, I think. This program is slowly shifting the culture of TCU basketball. We’re showing what TCU basketball is about right now.”
What TCU (21-12) is about these days is being physical and athletic. And proving people wrong in the process.
Not many expected the Frogs to contend for a tournament berth going into the season, let alone winning a game. After all, the Frogs were picked to finish eighth in the Big 12.
But the Frogs came together down the stretch, being battle-tested by playing seven games in a 15-day period to end the regular season. And it’s a group that’s evolved how Dixon envisioned it when he and his staff built this roster in the offseason.
“We brought in a group of guys that never played together, never been to the tournament except Micah [Peavy],” Dixon said. “We addressed that early. No one thinks you guys can come together. And we had all kinds of adversity early, injuries, COVID, shutdown, the usual, which we all seem to get. But we battled through it, got better, and we’re playing our best basketball now.”
That became evident on Friday night.
The Frogs built a 30-21 lead by halftime and then poured it on in the second half. TCU outscored Seton Hall 40-14 in points in the paint, and also won the rebounding battle 39-26. The Frogs’ swarming defense also held the Pirates to 29% from the field.
Seton Hall (21-11) never got within striking distance. The Pirates were plagued by foul trouble with standout Jared Rhoden fouling out with 12:55 left.
“You’ve got to give TCU credit,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. “I thought they were much more physical than us. I thought they got into us really early in the game, kind of shook us, to be honest with you.
“I thought they were a lot tougher than us, took us out of what we wanted to do.”
TCU (21-12) advances to the second-round where it’ll face 1-seed Arizona at 8:40 p.m. Sunday with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. The winner will advance to the South Regional in San Antonio next week. The Frogs are 2-0 all-time against the Wildcats, but the last meeting between the schools came in December of 1952.
For now, the Frogs will enjoy their victory that pushed the Big 12 to a perfect 6-0 on the opening round.
TCU got off to a slow start with four turnovers in the first three minutes, but it used a 10-0 run to take a 22-11 lead with five minutes left. The Frogs were leading 30-21 by halftime.
Even though TCU had a lead, it’s been prone to allowing opponents back in games throughout the season. That didn’t happen Friday.
TCU opened the second half with a 9-2 run and extended its lead to 25 points, 56-31, following a fast-break dunk by Peavy with 9:50 left.
Asked about sustaining the second-half push, TCU guard Damion Baugh said: “Just playing defense and taking care of the ball. That was really it. Coach expressed that every day. That’s what we went out there and did.”
TCU finished with 13 turnovers, one over its goal of 12 or fewer going into the game. But the defense was the difference, limiting Seton Hall to a season-low in points and holding Rhoden to a season-low five points. Rhoden entered the game averaging 15.9 points per game.
TCU was led by Mike Miles’ 21 points on 9 of 18 shooting. Baugh finished with 14 points, knocking down two 3-pointers early in the second half, while Miller had 10 points. Nine players recorded a rebound for the Frogs, led by Chuck O’Bannon Jr. with six.
“Our defense and rebounding is our calling card,” Miles said. “Coach Dixon says it every day. And that’s what we came out here and did.”
It was a dominant performance for a TCU team that appears to be peaking at the right time. The Frogs have defeated three ranked teams in the last three weeks (Texas Tech, Kansas and Texas) and will be eyeing a fourth in Arizona.
Dixon preferred talking about what his team accomplished Friday night, deferring a question about his memories from TCU’s last March Madness victory 35 years ago. Instead, Dixon said he thought more about his aging parents who were unable to travel down from Los Angeles for the game due to health reasons. And he thought about his late sister, Maggie, who played at the University of San Diego from 1995-99.
“I didn’t think about myself or 35 years ago,” he said.
This story was originally published March 18, 2022 at 10:58 PM.
