Losing sucks, but as a TCU basketball fan it's something you grow accustomed to. The key is in how you lose, and the Frogs kept the effort high throughout the loss in this one, and there were several points that frog fans should feel good about going forward. Still, let's cut through the doom and gloom first.
The Cowboys shot better than .600 until garbage time in the second half- That shooting will absolutely kill TCU all the time, as the Cowboys were able to create very easy driving lanes and finish with regularity at the rim.
Garlon Green sat down for a lot of the game again- TCU needs both Garlon Green and Kyan Anderson on the floor to open things up on the offensive end. When Green sits the ball tends to stay in Anderson's hand as he dribbles around the perimeter, trying to find an opportunity to pass it into the clogged mess of bodies inside. It doesn't work, so we take a long two and generally miss. This is why TCU shot .268 for the game.
Le'Bryan Nash was unstoppable- Nobody on TCU was able to stop Nash from driving to the basket all game long. Nash put up 28 points on 12-17 shooting (12-15 from two though).
TCU turned the ball over far too much at the end of the first half, and it put the game out of reach before halftime- The Frogs had kept it close for most of the first half, keeping the lead at a fairly consistent six points for about ten minutes before things went pear shaped in the last two minutes of the half. The Cowboys finished the second half on a 12-1 run thanks in part to three TCU turnovers on their last three possessions which resulted in easy finishes for the Cowboys at the other end.
Now let's talk about the good things, and despite the score there were a few of them
TCU hit the offensive glass hard- The fact that the teams ended up tied in total rebounds is amazing considering how well Oklahoma State shot. How did it happen? By TCU crashing the offensive boards, with Devonta Abron, Adrick McKinney and Nate Butler Lind all collecting 4 offensive rebounds. Way to get second chance points, guys.
Kyan Anderson and Devonta Abron are only Sophmores- And thank goodness for that, I would hate to see the Frogs play without them next year. Anderson was the player who consistently ended Oklahoma State runs with big baskets, and Devont Abron's presence was consistently felt even though he didn't get nearly enough touches. Half off his shots in the game were on his own offensive rebounds, yet he kept making great moves and going to the line to keep the lead manageable in the second half.
The Frogs shot .722 from the line- Things started off poorly as Adrick Mckinney started things off with a 1-2 and 0-2 performance, showcasing that ugly, ugly motion. Then things started to go right as Devonta Abron went 8-10 from the FT line, to go along with Crossland going 2-2 before McKinney finished the game by making two free throws. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal in the scope of the game, but going 13-18 at the line would have made a lot of the TCU games this season a lot more interesting down the stretch, and I imagine we'd have at least two more Big 12 wins. If TCU's foul shooting continues to improve...
Go Frogs.