Hank Thorns is hungry.
And not even back-to-back wins over ranked opponents can fill him up.
“We’re starving right now,” Thorns said after TCU beat then-No. 18 New Mexico 83-64 Saturday night. “That was just a little appetizer.”
Thorns and his teammates will head back to the buffet tonight.
The TCU men’s basketball team travels to Wyoming tonight to take on the Cowboys.
TCU is coming off its best game of the year, a 19-point blowout over what was the top-ranked team in the Mountain West. Saturday night’s win was also the Frogs’ second in a row over a ranked opponent.
TCU (17-11 overall, 7-5 conference) now sits fourth in the Mountain West, a game behind UNLV, New Mexico and San Diego State.
Still, Thorns said the Frogs can’t rest on their laurels, especially against a Wyoming team (19-9, 5-7) searching for its 20th win.
“Don’t get settled,” Thorns said. “Don’t get happy about this win. It’s over after tonight. We still have to come to practice and work hard.”
TCU beat Wyoming 58-52 Feb. 1 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, but beating the Cowboys on the road is on Thorns’ career checklist — something that’s been dwindling the past two weeks.
“I ran over there to J.R. [Cadot] and said, ‘We got [New Mexico],’” Thorns said. “We never beat Colorado State — we got them. We never beat UNLV — we got them. All we got left is to beat Wyoming there and get San Diego State — another team I’ve never beat.”
But Thorns and the Frogs have their sights on a higher goal — an NCAA tournament berth.
At 17-11, TCU is a long shot. But a road win over the Cowboys and over No. 21 San Diego State Saturday would keep the Frogs in the hunt for a Mountain West regular season title and, if it can get a win or two in the league tournament, would put Jim Christian’s squad in position for a possible at-large berth.
Thorns said anything short of that would be a disappointment.
“We want to go dancing,” Thorns said. “I’ve never gone to the NCAA tournament. I played in the NIT [National Invitation Tournament]. It’s not fun to me. I want to go to the NCAA tournament and get some shine on this school and this basketball program that we deserve. I think if we keep working hard, we’ll get there.”
