Sunday’s Big 12 slate was filled with games all over the country, with the epicenter in Fort Worth, Texas, for a Big 12 Doubleheader at the US LBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge at Dickies Arena.
Here in Fort Worth, TCU (5-4) fell to Vanderbilt (9-1), 83-74, in the first game of a doubleheader. Then, in the second game, Texas Tech (7-2) fell to Texas A&M (8-2), 72-67.
Meanwhile, in Columbia, Mo., No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks (7-2) and Missouri (8-1) renewed their “Border War” rivalry as the Jayhawks lost, 76-67.
Here are three thoughts on the day.
Turnover-Prone Horned Frogs
It’s hard to lose a game where you shoot better than 50% from the 3-point line. But TCU (5-4) did it on Sunday.
The Horned Frogs had 18 turnovers against Vanderbilt on Sunday, one sure way to offset a day in which you shoot 59% from the 3-point line. TCU was 10-of-17 from the arc, meaning that nearly half of their points came from distance.
But the Commodores turned those turnovers into 22 points, which helped offset the 3-point shooting.
Perhaps more concerning to TCU coach Jamie Dixon was the Horned Frogs being outrebounded, 37-29, being doubled up in bench points (52-26) and surpassed in fast-break points, 27-21.
The Horned Frogs didn’t play badly. But they weren’t sharp either.
“We did a poor job handling the ball and we came out flat,” center Ernest Udeh Jr. said. “We weren’t playing at our pace. We let them get to the free throw line and the fouls that we had almost took me out of the game. It’s the little stuff.”
Four different Horned Frogs had 11 points — David Punch, Trazarien White, Udeh and Brendan Wenzel, the last of which is worth monitoring because he needed help off the floor in the final minute of the game due to an injury.
Also, Punch played the four today alongside Udeh, and he said that playing alongside Punch gives the Horned Frogs a different look and it feels like that could be a set we see moving forward.
It’s been a struggle for TCU so far. I can see what this team cam be in spots, but not consistently. That’s not where you want to be with Big 12 play a few weeks ago and with just two games left to work things out. The Horned Frogs get the week off for finals. Perhaps that’s a good chance to clear their heads.
Carbon-Copy Tech
I walked back up to my press row seat and felt like I watched the same game all over again. The Red Raiders shot better than the Aggies (45% to 37%) and shot better from the arc (but only barely). Tech made three more 3-pointers than A&M.
But, look down the box score. The Red Raiders committed twice as many turnovers as the Aggies (18 to 9). Texas A&M outrebounded Texas Tech, 37-35, and 18-9 on the offensive glass. The Aggies also outscored the Red Raiders in points off turnovers, 18-9. Texas A&M even had 28 bench points to Tech’s 19.
This game, plus the TCU game, shows that shooting only matters so much. You can lose a game when you shoot like Tech did but fall short in practically every other significant category. And, like TCU, the Red Raiders didn’t play bad. They just weren’t sharp.
Chance McMillan had 23 points and made five 3-pointers for Tech. Kevin Overton dropped in 17 and Darrion Williams added 11. Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV led the Aggies with 19 points.
Each time I’ve watched Tech, win or lose, I’ve liked what I see. The 3-point shooting across the court with be a differentiator in conference play.
But the turnovers have to go.
Kansas on a Pendulum
Kansas won’t be No. 1 come Monday. It will be interesting to see how far the Jayhawks drop, too.
After Kansas lost by double digits to Creighton early in the week, the Jayhawks were in Columbia, Mo., for a “Border War” showdown with Missouri.
Man, it was weird. Kansas was awful in the first half. The Jayhawks were turnover-prone, looked uninterested and fell behind by 14 points, 39-25, at the half.
I’m not sure what Kansas coach Bill Self said at halftime, but I would have to imagine much of it can’t be printed (he said after the game “we just played bad”). But, whatever it was, the second half was much different.
But not different enough, as the Jayhawks still lost. Missouri played well, especially in the first half, and in doing that it had just enough cushion to withstand Kansas down the stretch. Mizzou’s Tamar Bates is worth the price of admission. He finished with 27 points.
For Kansas, Hunter Dickinson had a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds. David Coit scored 14 points, Dajuan Harris Jr. scored 13 points and KJ Adams Jr. scored 11 points.
This was a bad week for Kansas, no question. I don’t think this damages its long-term prospects as a national title contender. Kansas gets six days off for exams and has just two more games before they face West Virginia in the Big 12 opener. That’s not the gimme it looked like before the season.
Knowing Self, he’s unhappy. But, knowing Self, he’s gonna use this as jet fuel to get ready for Big 12 play. If the Jayhawks get to where I think they can get, this will be a blip on the radar screen by late March.
