Fresh off of a triple-overtime thriller on the road against Baylor, TCU basketball matched up with another top-25 matchup in the Big 12 against Texas Tech.
Trevian Tennyson netted 23 points for TCU basketball in the 85-78 win over the Red Raiders.
Despite being the better team offensively, Texas Tech trailed for much of the contest having its last lead in the late stages of the first half. Jamie Dixon helped his team find momentum just before halftime, and the Horned Frogs never looked back. Micah Peavy added 18 points for TCU in the win while Pop Isaacs led the Red Raiders with 25.
Takeaway #1: TCU took advantage of second-chance points
Offensive rebounds were plentiful for TCU basketball and when they happened, the Horned Frogs sure took advantage. Not only did TCU score 14 second chance points, but they limited Texas Tech to zero. This was largely in part due to the Horned Frogs winning the offensive rebound battle 12-4 as the Red Raiders earned very few extra possessions for themselves. On the flip side, TCU was averaging one point per extra possession as a result of its 14 offensive boards. While one point doesn’t seem like much, it quickly adds up.
There are three categories that college basketball coaches will tell you are essential to winning if you want to win the game: rebounds, free throws, and turnovers. TCU was better in all three of those categories but with the other two aside, rebounding was by far the biggest difference of them all. The Horned Frogs found success boxing out all night long in their front court, and they made the visitors pay as a result.
Takeaway #2: Texas Tech dealt with too much foul trouble
It’s hard to win games when you have three players with four fouls on the night, and that is the predicament Texas Tech found itself in with Darrion Williams, Warren Washington, and Kerwin Walton all having their minutes managed heavily. However, those three weren’t the only ones as the other Red Raiders accumulated nine fouls over the course of the contest. With the total so high, Texas Tech suffered by putting TCU in the bonus during the first half and the second bonus in the second half.
On that same note, some of the fouls were picked up in the end to stop the clock. Those are tactical fouls and while they all count the same, context matters. But only 3 of 21 fouls occurred in the final minute. Grant McCasland will be the first to admit that his team wasn’t disciplined on the court and suffered the loss as a result. You can’t give your opponent 32 free throws and expect to come out on top.
Takeaway #3: The Horned Frogs defense came up clutch when it mattered most
It wasn’t a perfect defensive effort for the Horned Frogs, but it’s not going to be when you go against the number 15 team in the country. You’re going to have to find ways to grind out stops, and that’s exactly what TCU basketball did. The Horned Frogs knew exactly when to strike and forced 13 turnovers with 5 of them being steals. While the five steals aren’t as much as some would like, causing a team as good as Texas Tech, who came into this game leading the Big 12, to cough up the basketball frequently is certainly a statement from Dixon’s defense.
TCU needed its defense to step up not just because Texas Tech was shooting 50% or higher from all over the court, but the Horned Frogs offense suddenly picked up stage fright. With the game going down to the wire, TCU made just one field goal on their final nine attempts and had to rely on free throws to be the source of points while Texas Tech threw everything it had into trying to force overtime.
Next Game for Texas Tech: vs Cincinnati (Feb. 3 – 6 p.m.)
Next Game for TCU: vs Texas (Feb. 3 – 2 p.m.)