TCU abandons plan as Oklahoma State runs away with Big 12 opener
TCU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson did not mince words.
After his Horned Frogs dropped their Big 12 season opener 69-48 against Oklahoma State Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena, Johnson, in his fourth season at TCU, bluntly ripped into his team.
“That’s some bad basketball,” Johnson said.
Specifically, a 10-minute stretch in the second half when the Cowboys (9-4, 1-0 Big 12) turned a two-point halftime lead into a 20-point cushion by taking advantage of turnover-prone TCU.
The Frogs had 15 turnovers, matching the number of TCU field goals in the game (15 for 50).
It’s very disturbing that it’s still happening as much as we’ve addressed it, as much as we’ve worked on it.
TCU coach Trent Johnson on the Frogs’ 15 turnovers
Most exasperating for Johnson was the Frogs’ penchant for going away from what was working at the end of the first half. TCU closed the half with a 12-6 run to pull to within 26-24 by working the paint. Forwards Chris Washburn and Devonta Abron, along with guard Malique Trent, had the Cowboys on their heels at the break.
After Oklahoma State opened the second half with an 11-1 run, TCU pulled back to within 38-30 on Michael Williams’ driving layup. Even before that, Johnson said, the Frogs had begun to stray from the game plan.
“A big emphasis for us after we closed to within two in the first half was to pound the ball in the post and we got perimeter-happy,” he said. “Guys started going off on their own and doing their own thing. We basically got what we deserved, which was a good old-fashioned butt-whipping.”
Jeff Newberry’s 3-pointer from the corner gave Oklahoma State a 52-35 lead midway through the second half. TCU (8-5, 0-1) was 1 for 17 from the 3-point arc, including 0 for 11 in the second half.
“Like I told them, you need to figure out how competitive you want to be because this league has no mercy on people who don’t want to compete and play at a high level,” he said.
“There was a 10-minute stretch where we just stopped executing and we stopped competing, for whatever reason, and it just bothers me. When they start playing people in this league, it tests your manhood. You find out what you’re about is the bottom line. We got what we deserved.”
Newberry had a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds for Oklahoma State. He helped fill the void left by leading scorer and former Flower Mound Marcus High School star Phil Forte, who was missing his 10th consecutive game with an arm injury.
TCU, which did not make its players available to the media after the game, returns home to play West Virginia at 6 p.m. Monday.
Stefan Stevenson, 817-390-7760
Twitter: @StevensonFWST
TCU (8-5, 0-1 Big 12) — Brodziansky 2-4 1-2 5, Shepherd 0-3 0-1 0, M. Williams 2-6 0-0 4, Trent 4-11 3-4 11, Parrish 0-5 0-0 0, Shreiner 1-2 1-1 3, Collins 2-7 6-8 11, Miller 1-3 0-0 2, Abron 0-2 5-6 5, Washburn 3-7 1-3 7. Totals 15-50 17-25 48.
OKLAHOMA ST. (9-4, 1-0) — Hammonds 4-10 2-2 11, Allen Jr. 2-3 0-0 4, Evans 2-7 9-10 13, Newberry 8-13 4-4 23, Carroll 4-9 0-0 10, Stuen 0-0 0-0 0, Griffin 0-3 0-0 0, Burton 0-2 0-0 0, Shine 1-2 0-0 2, Ibaka 0-1 0-0 0, McElroy 0-0 0-0 0, Olivier 1-3 2-2 4, Lienhard 0-0 0-0 0, Solomon 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 23-56 17-18 69.
Halftime—Oklahoma St. 26-24. 3-Point Goals—TCU 1-17 (Collins 1-5, Brodziansky 0-1, Shreiner 0-1, Parrish 0-2, M. Williams 0-3, Trent 0-5), Oklahoma St. 6-18 (Newberry 3-5, Carroll 2-5, Hammonds 1-4, Griffin 0-1, Shine 0-1, Evans 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—TCU 34 (Abron, Washburn 5), Oklahoma St. 39 (Newberry 8). Assists—TCU 4 (Brodziansky, Shepherd, Shreiner, Trent 1), Oklahoma St. 11 (Burton, Evans, Griffin 3). Total Fouls—TCU 17, Oklahoma St. 24. A—5,191.
This story was originally published January 2, 2016 at 6:18 PM with the headline "TCU abandons plan as Oklahoma State runs away with Big 12 opener."