Following back-to-back losses, TCU men’s basketball prepares for home matchup with Xavier
Coming into the season, TCU men’s basketball head coach Jamie Dixon knew it would take the team some time to gel.
On Tuesday, the coach said the Horned Frogs (4-3) must improve after consecutive losses last week to Santa Clara and Colorado State in the Acrisure Invitational ahead of a critical game with Xavier (7-1) in their Big 12-BIG EAST Battle matchup.
“Obviously, we’re not in a good situation, the best net teams we played, we’ve lost to,” Dixon siad. “It hasn’t gone as we had planned or desired,...we’ve known this thing wasn’t going to go fall right into place with, you know, 12 new players throw [Ernest Udeh] in and then out and then in and out again.”
Dixon pointed to the team’s spacing and shot selection as a top area to improve but said he was happy with the way the team had practiced after the loss to Colorado State.
“Around the basket, I think our shot selection hasn’t been good. Free throws, obviously not good enough. Offensive rebounds are not where it needs to be. So we’ve known some of those things, we got to continue to work on press, but I think it all goes back to the end of the day is our shot selection on that end is what’s hurt us,” said Dixon.
TCU has struggled from the field shooting 43%, and 32% from three-point range, which ranks third worst in the Big 12 conference.
Dixon also acknowledged that TCU’s rebounding numbers had to change, the team has the fourth-worst rebounding average (36.7) in the Big 12 and has struggled with Ernest Udeh in and out of the lineup.
TCU’s offense is led by Frankie Collins, who averages 11.3 points per game with 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
They’ll need to turn around their offense as they prepare to host a Xavier team that has only lost one game this season.
Xavier is coming off a 71-68 win over South Carolina, and the Musketeers will rely heavily on their fastbreak offense, averaging 20.6 points per game, which ranks 1st in the Big 12 and fourth in the nation.
The team is led by forward Zach Freemantle averaging 15.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists this year after being a preseason Second Team All-BIG East selection.
Freemantle will provide a test for the Horned Frogs’ interior defense and their rebounding which has plagued TCU throughout the season.
Freemantle is one of the best rebounders in the Big East ranking fourth in rebounding average and leading the league in defensive rebounding.
TCU play Xavier at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Schollmaier Arena, then face Vanderbilt at Dickies Arena on Sunday at 11 a.m.
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 12:35 PM.
