No. 22 TCU basketball gearing up for final home game vs. No. 9 Texas
TCU’s final home game of the year will be yet another Big 12 clash with No. 9 Texas headed to Schollmaier Arena on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
The Horned Frogs had a classic battle in Austin on Jan. 11 where TCU squandered an 18-point lead in a 79-75 loss to the Longhorns.
A shot at redemption will be on the minds of TCU and there’s also the added layer that this could be one of the last times Texas plays in Fort Worth with the Longhorns leaving the Big 12 for the SEC after next season. A win over the Longhorns would not only allow TCU to avoid a season sweep, but also pick up another signature win ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s another important game for us,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “There’s a lot of history with them and we’ve got to go play well and contain a very old and experienced (team). The sixth-year guys are plentiful, the fifth-year guys are the young ones. It’s certainly a deep team too.”
Versatile guard play
How loaded is Texas at the guard spot? Five-star Dallas native Arterio Morris barely averages over 10 minutes a game. Texas is led by fifth-year guard Marcus Carr who averages 16.8 points per night and is making a career-high 38% of his 3-pointer attempts.
Fellow fifth-year guard Sir’Jabari Rice might be the best sixth man in the country and is second on Texas in scoring. Tyrese Hunter was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year at Iowa State last season and now he’s the fourth option for the Longhorns.
TCU did a solid job the first matchup of making Hunter and Carr inefficient. Carr was just 5-of-16 while Hunter was only 2-of-8. Rice was the difference maker, scoring all 15 of his points in the second half.
“We’ve got go guard the ball screen first,” Dixon said. “We can’t give them any easy baskets in transition off turnovers. We made that clear. Rice is one of those guards that hurt us coming off the bench. They have so many experienced guys.”
Paint battle
TCU was able to win the points in the paint battle with Texas Tech despite not having Eddie Lampkin or Souleymane Doumbia available. That task will be tougher against the Texas big men. Doumbia didn’t practice on Monday and remaisn in concussion protocol while Lampkin’s status is to be determined.
Timmy Allen and Dylan Disu were relentless in the first game and also helped spark the comeback. Disu made all seven of his shots against TCU while Allen had a team-high 17 points. If there’s something to be encouraged about for the Horned Frogs it’s the fact that Xavier Cork and JaKobe Coles were both productive in Austin combining for 15 points.
Both scored in double figures in the win over Texas Tech and Coles in particular had scored 10 or more in seven of TCU’s last nine games. Dixon is worried less about scoring in the paint as opposed to defending it.
“They can’t get second shots, I think of Allen, I think second shots, Disu hurt us too.” Dixon said.
Five-star Dillon Mitchell is another capable forward and is one of the most athletic players in the country. He’s not at the point where he can create his own shot, but he’s a lob finisher and is the Longhorns’ second-leading rebounder.
Eman the X-factor
Mike Miles Jr. having a big game will be key for TCU, but the Horned Frogs will also need Emanuel Miller to replicate the performance he had in Austin. Miller had his best game offensively making 10 of 12 shots for 21 points. It was tied for the second-most points he’s scored in a game this season.
Miller is getting back to All-Big 12 form since Miles has returned to the lineup. He had 14 points and a season-high 12 rebounds in the win over the Red Raiders and 18 in the blowout victory over Oklahoma State on Feb. 18.
“He’s a great offensive rebounder,” Dixon said of Miller. “We’ve got to continue to get him into the loop with offensive rebounding while also making some 3s and shooting a high percentage from there.”
When Miller is involved, the offense has another layer to it with a wing that can score inside and out to pair with Miles and Damion Baugh. TCU is 8-2 in games Miller has scored 14 or more points. If he can reach that number then TCU’s shots at avoiding a season sweep increases.
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 7:20 AM.
