At halftime of the Big 12 quarterfinal, TCU coach Jamie Dixon spoke the same message as his Texas counterpart Chris Beard: The Longhorns held a 18-point lead but the game was not over.
They took it in completely different directions.
While the Horned Frogs were aggressive on offense, they slowed down on defense and rode Mike Miles and Damion Baugh on a wild comeback in the last 20 minutes. The 22 Longhorns did not show the same fight that gave them their huge lead. TCU won 65-60 and advanced to the semifinal round.
Miles said that the message was to remain confident and not be down on ourselves. He overcame a difficult first half and an injury to his ankle to score 13 points. We knew it would be difficult to get back from 18 points down but we persevered, played better and started scoring some shots. That was the message.
Halftime deficit was the largest by an unranked team against one ranked opponent since Illinois, which rallied from 20 down to beat No. 18 Clemson, 76-74 on December 2, 2009.
“The coach said that the game wasn’t over. Marcus Carr, Longhorns guard, said that there are still 20 minutes to go. They are not going to let down. They deserve credit. They were brave and they fought for their rights.
After trailing 40-20, the Horned Frogs were able to pull ahead when Miles scored just before the half. This started a comeback that was fuelled by great shooting and defense stops. With just seven minutes remaining, they pulled ahead and then took the lead when Eddie Lampkin, who scored a game-high 17, found Baugh under the basket in a set play from a timeout.
Texas’ Carr missed the other end (21-11), Lampkin got the rebound and Francisco Farabello made both his free throws with 15.9 seconds remaining to win the game.
“We told them that we had a chance. Dixon said that they had an opportunity. His team will face sixth-ranked Kansas in the Big 12 title match. They would slow it down, and we would play more.
Timmy Allen was the Longhorns’ leader with 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Courtney Ramey scored 15 points and had nine boards.
Allen stated, “We knew that we had to continue playing,” and “we didn’t do that.”
As a winter storm swirled outside, there was an odd sensation at the T-Mobile Center quarterfinal. Two years ago, Texas Tech and the Longhorns were on the very same court to prepare for their game against Texas Tech. At the exact same hour of the day, phones belonging to Big 12 officials started to chirp. The COVID-19 pandemic and the NCAA Tournament canceled the tournament within an hour. Life is currently returning to normal.
The tournament last year, in which the Longhorns defeated the Red Raiders to win the title, took place in a mostly empty arena.
Texas looked to have put away TCU’s quarterfinal by going on a 20-1 run in the second half. Allen was the most prolific with back-toback baskets and two free throws on consecutive possessions. Brock Cunningham made a 3-pointer from above the key to give the Longhorns a lead of 20 points in the second half.
Miles, an All-Big 12 second-team guard, had been 0 for 7, from the field. He finally scored a hard layup in the last minute to draw the Horned Frogs within 40-22 at halftime.
It was the beginning of a huge comeback.
Miles was the star of the show, hitting four straight baskets (including a couple 3-pointers), and Baugh added another, as the Horned Frogs reduced the deficit to 52-48 in just 10 minutes. Emanuel Miller took the ball when Devin Askew crashed into Miles. The TCU star was suffering from a right ankle injury and had to leave the game.
Dixon’s team managed to hold on to the win despite some pressure possessions thanks to Dixon’s basket at 6:45.
Miller stated, “We all fought together.” Miller said, “We all fought together.” We showed a lot grit, I thought. We worked together. We demonstrated what TCU basketball is all for.”
BIG PICTURE
TCU has lost in the 2017 Big 12 Tournament semi-finals. The Horned Frogs finished the tournament at 5-9, with Kansas State losing in three of their four previous trips.
Texas: The Longhorns shot 65.2% from behind the line in the first half. They were then 1 of 11 to shoot beyond the arc in the second half and shot 22.6%. They were also beaten in the boards, and they dominated the paint.
UP NEXT
On Friday, the Jayhawks will host the Horned Frogs. Just last week, the teams split a pair.
