By Jamie Plunkett
Frogs Today staff writer
FORT WORTH – Emanuel Miller broke free in the final seconds and soared for a dunk.
As he slammed it home TCU’s students prepared to storm the court, as is only fitting when the Storm Watchers are in town.
The team and students alike celebrated once the clock hit zeroes, as TCU knocked off No. 9 Texas 75-73 on Wednesday night, moving to 20-10 on the season.
Damion Baugh led the way for the Frogs with 24 points, nine assists, and five rebounds, while Miller added a 20 point, 10 rebound double double to the mix.
Meanwhile, Mike Miles shot 0-8 for the floor scoring just one point on the night.
Prior to Wednesday night, Miles had only finished a game without a made basket twice before in his TCU career (excluding the Mississippi State game earlier this year, when he suffered an injury just minutes into the game).
Those basketless games were February 15, 2022 vs. Iowa State, and January 5, 2021 against Kansas.
Students lined the block on Wednesday evening waiting to get into the game, stretching all the way past the Baugh Indoor facility next to Schollmaier arena for the final TCU home game of the season.
The first half felt familiar, with TCU once again building a big lead on the Longhorns. TCU got up by 18 points earlier this season down in Austin, and they led by as many as 16 on Wednesday night, led by the efforts of Baugh.
Baugh scored a game-high 14 points in the first half, while also recording six assists as he facilitated the offense at a level not recently seen.
However it was Baugh’s defense from the jump that set the tone for the Frogs. Baugh opened the game with a steal, after Texas won the tip. Marcus Carr turned his back to retrieve the ball and Baugh reached in to snag it, running the rest of the way for an opening layup.
The rest of the half, TCU swarmed on defense, holding Texas to 38.7% shooting from the floor with six turnovers.
As a team TCU shot 62.1% from the floor in the first half, including 50% from 3-point range.
The Frogs worked their way out to an 18-10 lead thanks to the continued hot shooting of JaKobe Coles, who scored four straight points off the bench just moments after he entered the game.
Texas fought back, using a 12-5 run to close the gap.
Everywhere Texas turned, though, TCU had an answer. Micah Peavy’s second three of the night gave TCU a two score lead and sparked a 9-2 run that pushed the Frogs’ lead to double digits for the first time, 34-24.
TCU closed out the half on a strong note, and carried a 44-32 into halftime.
As well as teams scored in the first half, things ground to a halt after halftime. TCU and Texas combined for just 21 made baskets in the second half, as defense took over and both teams sustained long scoreless streaks.
Mike Miles scored his first point of the night at the 10:13 mark of the second half, going 1-for-2 from the free throw line after Texas coach Rodney Terry was called for a technical foul.
Terry was called for the tech following an extended break in the action, during which a TCU student received a stern warning from stadium security, TCU officials, and one of the referees. It’s unclear if the issues were related.
TCU’s lead, as many as 12 in the second half, was consistently chipped away as the Frogs couldn’t score. The defensive struggle got close late, following back to back 3-point shots from Carr and Hunter, pulling the Longhorns to within three, 71-68.
TCU inbounded the ball with 59.5 seconds left, and Miles got a look at the rim as the shot clock wound down. A contested shot led to a miss, but after the ball was tipped around, O’Bannon soared in for the offensive rebound.
Texas was forced to foul Baugh with just 19.7 seconds left, and Baugh made both, giving the Frogs a two possession lead at 73-68.
Texas scored a layup, but the Frogs broke free on the ensuing inbounds play, and Miller flushed home a dunk to seal the victory.
A 3-pointer by Sir’Jabari Rice at the buzzer got the game to its final score, and gave Rice a team-high 16 points for Texas.
Up Next
TCU heads to Norman, Ok. to play the last place Oklahoma Sooners as they close out their regular season.
The game is set to tip off at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
Jamie Plunkett, jamie@frogstoday.com
