By Jamie Plunkett
Frogs Today senior writer
KANSAS CITY – TCU fell in the Big 12 semifinals for the second straight season, losing to Texas 66-60
Mike Miles led the way for the Frogs with 15 points, while Chuck O’Bannon added 12. Damion Baugh led the rebounding effort, pulling down 10 to lead all players, while Emanuel Miller added eight points and eight rebounds to the effort.
Dylan Disu and Christian Bishop led the way for Texas with 15 points apiece, as the Longhorns made a concerted effort to get the ball inside and did so to great effect.
Exhaustion seemed to set in for the Frogs, who missed layups, rotated late on defense, and struggled to rebound against the larger frontcourt of the Longhorns.
Even so, TCU had every opportunity to win Friday night’s basketball game, never trailing by more than nine, and staying within two possessions for the final six minutes of the game.
But poor shooting doomed the Frogs in the end.
TCU shot 35% from the floor, and just 30% in the second half, as Texas made life difficult for them throughout the night.
Texas’ defense swarmed them, played physically, and made life difficult. The Longhorns extended their defense out beyond the 3-point line, and trapped TCU’s guards on the wings, forcing tough passes.
Meanwhile, the Frogs didn’t move well without the ball, as multiple guys occupied the same space, or stood around passively.
The result was a Texas lead that slowly grew, as they continued to move the ball inside and score around the rim, racking up 28 points in the paint in the first half.
Chuck O’Bannon picked up where he left off in Thursday’s win over Kansas State, scoring eight first half points on 3-5 shooting to keep the Frogs within striking distance at halftime, trailing 34-26.
TCU cut into Texas’ lead in the second half, playing with a small deficit for the first eight minutes. As TCU began to slow the Longhorns down on defense, four consecutive points – a layup from Shahada Wells and free throws from JaKobe Coles – brought the Frogs to within three, 46-43, and forced Texas coach Rodney Terry to call timeout.
Texas used the next three minutes, largely from the free throw line, to build their lead out to it’s largest of the day, at 53-44 with 8:55 remaining in the game.
The Frogs continued to battle, though, and baskets from Miller and Peavy cut TCU’s deficit to just four, 57-53, with just over five minutes remaining.
Marcus Carr and Miles traded 3-point shots as the clock continued to wind down.
Those would be the last two baskets made for close to three minutes of game time, until a Carr layup put Texas ahead 62-56 with 2:02 remaining in the contest.
Up next
TCU will head back to Fort Worth on Friday night to begin preparation for the NCAA Tournament. They’ll learn their seeding and destination during Selection Sunday, this Sunday at 5:00 p.m. central on CBS.
Jamie Plunkett, jamie@frogstoday.com
