TCU Horned Frogs hammered on the road by West Virginia in devastating Big 12 loss
Another sluggish start in the first half doomed TCU in a crucial Big 12 game as the Horned Frogs were defeated 73-55 by West Virginia on Tuesday night.
TCU (15-13, 8-9) dropped to 1-12 all-time in Morgantown, but more importantly the Horned Frogs’ chances of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament took a significant hit after a second straight road loss.
The Horned Frogs entered the night among the dozen of teams just outside of the tournament field according to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi. West Virginia (17-11, 8-9) was a Quad 1 game that could’ve put TCU closer to being on the right side of the bubble.
TCU got off to a slightly better start than it did last Saturday against Cincinnati with the Horned Frogs jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the opening two minutes on Tuesday
But from there, the game belonged to the Mountaineers: West Virginia went on a 23-2 run and took a 23-7 lead over the Horned Frogs with less than eight minutes remaining in the first half.
West Virginia guards Sincere Harris and Javon Small led the charge, scoring a combined 13 points during the decisive run.
Meanwhile, TCU’s offense continued to struggle in the half court as the Horned Frogs made just four of their first 15 shots. More concerning than the Horned Frogs struggling to score was their lack of intensity on defense.
The Mountaineers shot 59% from the field and led 42-27 at the half. Small and Harris did the most damage with 11 points apiece. For Harris it was a breakout game as he entered the night averaging less than six points per game.
TCU briefly showed signs of a comeback as Trazarien White opened the second half with a 3 that cut West Virginia’s lead to 42-30. However, the Mountaineers immediately answered with a 7-2 run as Small hit a 3 to put West Virginia back ahead 50-32 with just under 16 minutes remaining.
TCU staged one last run down 62-43 as the Horned Frogs went on a 10-0 run sparked by Jace Posey. The redshirt freshman came off the bench and scored eight points during the run as he continues to be one of the most improved players on the roster.
However, West Virginia had another response as Small knocked down a bucket in the paint and then found Joseph Yesufu for a 3 to put the Mountaineers back in front 67-53 with 4:25 remaining.
The Horned Frogs trailed by as many as 22 points in another defeat on the road. However, West Virginia had another response as Small knocked down a bucket in the paint and then found Joseph Yesufu for a 3 to put the Mountaineers back in front 67-53 with 4:25 remaining. Small finished with 23 points, 10 assists and six 3-pointers.
It was another disappointing effort for the Horned Frogs, who had played their way onto the bubble after defeating No. 10 Texas Tech on Feb. 18.
But with two chances to secure Quad 1 wins over Cincinnati and West Virginia, TCU played some of its worst basketball at the wrong time.
The Horned Frogs have just one Quad 1 game remaining in the regular season — against Baylor on March 4 — but even a win in that game is will unlikely to be enough to get TCU on the right side of the bubble.
As things stand, the Horned Frogs will need a big run in the Big 12 Conference Tournament in Kansas City, or the program could be NIT bound.
TCU is set to next host UCF (3 p.m. Saturday).
