After Friday’s home loss to New Mexico, head men’s basketball coach Jim Christian said he did not look forward to the season ending. In fact, he said he would coach 20 more games to win one more.
Christian will have one last chance to get his second Mountain West Conference victory of the season at Air Force Academy Wednesday.
“[The team] is playing hard; they’re doing what they can do; that’s hard to do now,” Christian said. “That’s hard to do when you lose this many games in a row and still fight, still be in the game. We’re just not making plays at key times, and [on] big possessions we give up a basket almost every time. And that’s what happens when you don’t believe it, yet.”
TCU is 1-14 in conference play and 10-20 overall with the one conference victory coming against Wyoming on Jan. 12. For TCU, the outcome of the game will not change the Frogs’ seeding in the MWC tournament 8212; TCU is locked up as the No. 9 seed. The Falcons will play for a potential fifth seed in the tournament.
Junior guard Hank Thorns needs 15 assists to surpass Mark Dickel’s record for most assists in a season by a MWC player. He also needs one assist to tie Prine Fowler for third place as the TCU all-time single season assist leader. Thorns ranks fourth in the nation with 6.9 assists per game.
With the Frogs honoring two seniors, forward Nikola Gacesa and guard Greg Hill, in Saturday’s loss, the fact that Thorns likely will return to TCU for his senior season might be the best positive thing fans can see as the season comes to an end.
The Falcons are ranked second in the MWC in field goal percentage at 46.8 percent and 3-point shooting at 37.2 percent. Falcons sophomore guard Michal Lyons and senior forward Tom Fow lead the team in shooting.
The last time the Frogs and Falcons met was Jan. 29 in Fort Worth. TCU fell in overtime 66-65. TCU is shooting 47.4 percent at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, but on the road the Frogs shoot only 38.7 percent.
Up Next:
After TCU wraps up regular season play tonight, the Frogs will focus on the Mountain West Conference Tournament, which will be held March 9-12 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Per MWC seeding rules, the Frogs will likely play current No. 8-seeded Wyoming on March 9 at 4 p.m. The game will be televised on The Mtn.
TCU at Air Force
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: USAFA, Colo.
TV: The Mtn.
Radio: KCLE-AM 1460
GoFrogs.com: Follow GameTracker or listen live.