The TCU men’s basketball team was routed 91-69 by the No. 8-ranked Kansas Jayhawks Saturday night in front of a record-breaking home crowd.
“In my little shallow opinion, they’ve probably got six pros,” TCU head coach Trent Johnson said.
Freshman forward Brandon Parrish scored a team-high 15 points for the Frogs in the loss.
The Frogs (9-10, 0-7 Big 12) have lost seven straight and are still looking for their first conference win of the season. Kansas (15-4, 6-0 Big 12) is undefeated in conference play this season.
Jayhawks guard Andrew Wiggins scored a new career-high 27 points in the win.
“He was a little thirsty to score in the first half, which is what we want,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said. “I thought Andrew played well.”
Wiggins also grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists.
“He’s just a talented guy,” junior forward Amric Fields said.
Johnson added that he was impressed by the humility of Wiggins after the game. Wiggins, who was the top prospect coming out of high school, is widely considered to be a top-three pick in next year’s NBA Draft.
“Anything less than 30 and 10 is not gonna live up to the hype,” Self said. “He was in a no-win situation.”
Fields, who is currently suffering from the flu, scored 13 points for TCU. The Oklahoma City native also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
The attendance for the game was announced at 7,494, which is the highest in school history for TCU basketball.
Once again, poor shooting and rebounding contributed to TCU’s struggles. The Frogs shot just over 30 percent from the field in the first half and were outrebounded 40-24 for the game.
Kansas forward Perry Ellis brought down a game-high 14 rebounds in addition to scoring eight points.
“I thought Perry was the best he’s been on the glass in awhile,” Self said. “I thought he played tough on the glass, and I told him, ‘But God, you missed some easy shots.’”
The Jayhawks started the game off with two straight buckets before Fields repaid the favor with four points of his own.
Freshman center Karviar Shepherd scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds despite fouling out midway through the second half.
“I feel like I can do better than I did,” Shepherd said.
From then on, Kansas outscored TCU 49-28 in the first half. The Jayhawks seemed to score at will for most of the night, shooting 61.5 percent in the first half.
“Bill’s teams are always focused,” Johnson said. “That’s been a well-oiled machine for years, Kansas basketball.”
Their 91 total points is the highest they’ve scored in Big 12 play this season.
TCU held Kansas to a season-low 29 percent from the field the last time these two teams met in Fort Worth.
“Last year, we didn’t leave out of here very happy,” Self said. “It wasn’t just because we didn’t play well. It’s because TCU whipped us. They were better last year. No question.”
The Frogs hit 21 of their 25 total free throws. TCU is currently making 71 percent of their free throws this season, which is the third-best percentage in the Big 12.
Junior guard Kyan Anderson went eight for eight from the free throw line on the night. Anderson, who finished the game with 12 points, is currently suffering from skin infection.
Tempers flared early on as both teams were issued technical fouls after a scramble for a loose ball got a little too physical for the referees’ liking. Fouls continued to be a running theme as the two teams shot a combined 63 free throws.
Jayhawks center Joel Embiid chipped in 14 points and six rebounds of his own in the win.
“He’s a good player,” Shepherd said. “Every game is an experience to take in and try to do better.”
The Jayhawks opened the second half with a 9-2 run and never let the Frogs make a big run to make the game close. With 17:18 left in the game, the Frogs trailed by 27 points, which was their largest deficit of the night.
“I can’t fault the way we played and the effort we had in the second half,” Johnson said.
Early on in the second half, Embiid collided with a TCU player and went down with an apparent injury. He would walk off the court under his own power and return a few minutes later.
“I assume he’s fine,” Self said. “I think he’s fine.”
Sophomore guard Christian Gore injured his calf late in the game but also appeared to be okay. Gore scored 11 points for the Frogs in 21 minutes of action.
The Frogs now have a week off before heading to Lubbock for a Saturday afternoon contest with the Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-10, 2-5 Big 12) next week. TCU fell to the Red Raiders 60-49 at home earlier this season.
Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CT.
