As the college basketball regular season comes to an end, teams aim to make a run in their respective conference tournaments, and the Horned Frogs men’s basketball is no exception.Coming off what players, coaches and fans consider the biggest win of the season, the Frogs look to build off the recent, late-season success as they prepare to face the Wyoming Cowboys tonight at 7 p.m. in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
The win against Air Force, which ended an 11-game-losing streak, was reflective of the hard work and relentless attitude the team had despite losing 11 in a row, head coach Neil Dougherty said.
“They did a great job of playing hard throughout the losing streak,” Dougherty said.
The Horned Frogs will now turn attention to a Wyoming team (15-13, 6-8 conference), who Dougherty considered to be the opposite of Air Force in that the Cowboys rely more on two players compared to Air Force’s more balanced offensive attack. Those two players, guards Brandon Ewing and Brad Jones, average 20 points and 18 points per game, respectively, and, Dougherty said, the Frogs need to continue to do the little things during the course of the game in order to keep up with the high-scoring duo.
“When you play Wyoming, you have to have a strategy to contain Jones and Ewing,” Neil Dougherty said. “We’ve got to be able to deal with an outstanding pair of individual players.”
The Frogs also hope to send seniors Blake Adams, Neil P. Dougherty and Femi Ibikunle off on a high note tonight, which is “Senior Night” for the three players. Neil P. Dougherty, who hasn’t lost a game on “Senior Night” during his TCU career, said he pressures himself not to disappoint his seniors. Reflecting on memories of “freshman stupidity,” and seeing the experience they’ve accumulated up to their senior year is emotional, he said.
“I’ll be fighting trying not to cry,” Neil Dougherty said.
Dougherty won’t be the only one looking for a final win for the seniors. Junior guard Brent Hackett said the team, particularly younger players, play their best to assure seniors one last home win before leaving.
“One thing the underclassmen have to worry about is playing hard for (the seniors),” Hackett said. “We want to end on a good note for them.”
Considering the Frogs have enjoyed recent success on “Senior Night,” Adams said the Frogs should feel good about their chances tonight.
“I can’t believe it’s already here,” Adams said.