TCU men’s basketball dominates in season opener with a roster revamp

By Delaney Vega, Sports Editor

Published Nov 5, 2024

TCU men’s basketball in the charity exhibition against Arkansas on Nov. 1, 2024. (Photo courtesy of TCU men’s basketball)

TCU men’s basketball took down the Florida A&M Rattlers 105-59 with a reconstructed roster.

Frog fans anxiously awaited to see the new roster perform on the court under well-accomplished head coach Jamie Dixon.

Fresh Faces

TCU’s roster has undergone a near-complete overhaul. The team lost nine scholarship players, including all of its top seven scorers. Six players who exhausted their eligibility last season signed professional contracts. As a result, TCU returns just 4.7% of its scoring. The Frogs bring back only 7.5% of minutes played from last season, making them the least experienced team in the Big 12 by that metric.

The freshman class, ranked 17th nationally by ESPN, is led by Micah Robinson, ESPN’s No. 64 recruit, and David Punch, ranked No. 96. The class also includes four-star center Malick Diallo and three-star guard Ashton Simmons, rounding out a promising group of newcomers.

Among the transfers, Trazarien White, Frankie Collins, Noah Reynolds and Brendan Wenzel each bring multiple years of college experience. White enters the season with 1,298 career points while Collins, a former Arizona State guard, averaged 13.6 points and 3.2 assists last season.

The Horned Frogs also added Denton, Texas native RJ Jones from Kansas State and Vasean Allette, who averaged 17.4 points and 5.7 rebounds as a freshman. Isaiah Manning and Jace Posey return after redshirting as freshmen last season.

The match-up

TCU set an intense pace from the opening tip-off, disrupting Florida A&M’s attempt to gain momentum with relentless defensive pressure.

The Frogs forced four turnovers within the first 10 minutes, creating immediate opportunities that translated into a commanding 13-point lead just 11 minutes into the game. TCU’s Jace Posey established himself early, sinking six points to set the tone, with Frankie Collins close behind at five. This high-energy start helped propel the Frogs on a scorching 15-2 run over just 3:44, while Florida A&M struggled to convert shots, going just one for eight from the court during that stretch.

As the first half drew to a close, Collins punctuated TCU’s dominance with a powerful dunk at the buzzer, sending the Frogs into the locker room with an imposing 59-22 lead.

57% shooting 🔥
69% (11-16) from three 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ciNvA7CVLb

— TCU Men’s Basketball (@TCUBasketball) November 5, 2024

TCU’s efficiency on both ends of the court was evident in the halftime stats, as the Frogs shot a sharp 57% from the field while holding Florida A&M to a 29% shooting percentage. Alongside their offensive prowess, TCU commanded the boards with a 26-14 rebounding advantage, creating numerous second-chance opportunities and maintaining control of the pace.

Florida A&M’s leading scorers, Sterling Young and Tyler Shirley, managed just six points each, while Posey continued to pace the Frogs’ scoring effort with 11 points.

This early dominance put the Frogs in a position to dictate the tempo going into the second half.

Out of the tunnel, Young knocked an early three down for A&M that was immediately answered by a TCU two by Trazarien White for his first bucket of the night to bring the score to 61-25 less than two minutes into the second half.

The Frogs kept their momentum, pulling away 83-45 with just over eight minutes to the end of the game. TCU’s new addition Vasean Allette put up a stellar 13 points in the second half after the Frogs drew several unnecessary fouls.

With just 44 seconds left in the game, the arena erupted as Dixon sent in Adam Stewart, Drew McElroy and Trey Stuart from the bench. Stewart made his first appearance and scored two points for the Frogs with seconds to go.

The Frogs boasted 26 bench points and 32 points in the paint in the second. On the other side, Florida A&M recorded 31 bench points and 8 points in the paint. The Frogs’ 23 fastbreak points throughout the game were the star plays of the night as the Rattlers hoisted only 11.

At the end of the game, the scoreboard read 105-59 for a TCU win in their season opener.