Photo Courtesy: TCU Athletics (Gregg Ellman)
FORT WORTH, TX – TCU (19-9, 8-8) defeated back-to-back top 10 ranked teams for the first time in program history as they beat No. 5 Kansas (23-6, 12-4) Tuesday night in Fort Worth 74-64 right after beating No. 9 Texas Tech on Saturday night.
TCU had a great first half against the top five team. The Frogs outrebounded the Jay Hawks 20-14 in the first half and they won the battle of the boards from start to finish.
What kept Kansas in the game was a late 6-0 run at the end of the first half to give them a one point lead going into the half.
They also shot 62 percent from beyond the arc shooting 5-of-8, while TCU shot 22 percent shooting 2-of-9.
Mike Miles led the Frogs in the first half with nine points, but had a lot of help from the entire team including the bench. The bench contributed to 13 of TCU’s 34 points going into the half.
TCU opened the second half going on a 6-2 run giving them a three point lead, 40-37. Emanuel Miller then gets an and one and finishes the free throw for a three-point play to give TCU a four point lead.
“The culture here is so contagious.” Emanuel Miller told the press post game. Miller described the culture here at TCU as something special and it’s the reason he came to TCU.
The Frogs continued to crash the boards and grab rebounds and it rewarded them. TCU took a 52-47 lead with 11 minutes remaining in regulation and that lead was due to second chance opportunity points.
The lead continued to grow and the time started to dwindle. Kansas started to foul and TCU showed up at the line. Damion Bough went 6-of-6 at the free throw line down the stretch to clinch the win for TCU.
The Frogs outworked, outplayed, and out hustled Kansas as they took a 10-point win in Schollmaier Arena.
“We played hard, we played smart, and we played together.” Head Coach Jamie Dixon stated after the game.
The Frogs outrebounded 47-35, which was the reason for this win. Another big thing to look at was the team effort by the Frogs. 10 TCU players scored and 25 points came from off the bench.
TCU has struggled all season with turnovers and poor three-point shooting. The Frogs only gave up seven turnovers. They did shoot 3-of-15 from beyond the arc (20 percent) but their rebounding made up for the no makes.
“We took care of the basketball and rebounded.” Coach Dixon explained after the game that it’s all about the simple plays. He said when we realize how important the little things are we start winning games.
With this win TCU should be eligible for the NCAA March Madness tournament. Nothing has been decided yet but coach Dixon is happy with how they are playing this week.
“It’s a good way to start off March.” Coach Dixon stated after the game.
Mike Miles led with 19 points, one rebound, two assists, and two steals.
The Frogs will head to Kansas to play them again in 48 hours. Tip off is set for Thursday night at 7 PM. TCU will look to take the series this year with another win in their court.
