TCU bounces back after a heartbreaking loss to No. 3 Kansas and secures their first conference and ranked win of the season against No. 9 Oklahoma led by Emanuel Miller‘s 27 points and nine rebounds.
This matchup was groundbreaking for Miller as he surpassed 1000 career points at TCU. He’s the seventh player under head coach Jamie Dixon to achieve this.
“I’m blessed to have such a great supporting cast and I’m blessed to be present in this moment. I’m just blessed that the TCU community has cheered me on throughout my career,” said Miller.
After the controversial 83-81 loss to the Jayhawks last Saturday, the Frogs were looking to prove they can compete in the powerhouse that is Big 12 basketball.
Although TCU led 40-34 at the half with some late 3-point shots from Chuck O’Bannon Jr. and Jameer Nelson Jr., the Frogs struggled to find their rhythm offensively on the perimeter. They ended the half shooting only 23% from 3-point range. The second half didn’t show much improvement as the Frogs shot 36.36% from behind the arc.
Struggling to complete buckets from behind the 3-point line meant that TCU had find other avenues to score. A common trend for TCU so far in Big 12 basketball is creating turnovers and turning them into scoring plays. TCU forced Oklahoma to 14 turnovers, which created 25 points for the Frogs.
Head coach Jamie Dixon said that TCU is a “low turnover team. And we really emphasize that. And so you get seven turnovers and force 14, that’s where you can make up the difference in points.”
Aside from Miller’s notable game, the performance from the bench was stellar. O’Bannon Jr. was the star of the show, contributing to 11 of the 28 points from the bench. He shot 50% from the field and tallied 2 of the team’s 7 steals.
Forwards Avery Anderson III and Nelson were also hot in the match against the Sooners, with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
The gauntlet continues as the Frogs will play in their third consecutive top 10 matchup. Steals should be the name of the game as TCU ranks 12th in turnover ratio with Houston ranking second. After the big win against Oklahoma, TCU should be on the cusp of being ranked.
The TCU Horned Frogs look to keep their ranked win streak alive as they host the No. 2 Houston Cougars on Saturday, Jan. 13 inside the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. and is available for streaming on ESPN.
