Step Back & Fade Away: Frogs Fall 63-49 to Kansas State

The Kansas State Wildcats came to Fort Worth and cruised to a relatively easy 63-49 win over TCU tonight. After opening an 11-2 lead, the Wildcats never looked back, maintaining a double-digit advantage for much of the evening.

Malique Trent led TCU with 11 points on 4/8 shooting from the field. The sophomore guard also grabbed seven boards in the loss. JD Miller came off the bench to add nine points and snag four rebounds. Chauncey Collins had a night to forget offensively, finishing with nine points on 3/13 shooting from the field. Vladimir Brodziansky was the only other Frog who found any sort of success this evening, adding eight points off the bench.

For the second game in a row, TCU finished with more turnovers and fouls than made field goals. The Frogs shot just 16/49 from the field, a mark that equates to 32.7%, while committing 19 turnovers and 23 personal fouls. The game marked the ninth time this season that the team was unable to surpass the 60-point mark. TCU was also out-rebounded 40-31.

For the Wildcats, a trio of starters led the show. Justin Edwards had the best night of any player on the floor, knocking in 17 points on 5/10 shooting from the field. Barry Brown finished the game with 16 points, including four made three-pointers. Finally, Dean Wade added 14 points for Bruce Weber's team.

Tonight's game began like so many before it. The Frogs sputtered out of the gate, allowing Kansas State to put together an 11-0 run after Devonta Abron gave TCU an early 2-0 lead via a pair of free throws. The Wildcats would maintain a double-digit lead for nearly the entire first half.

Karviar Shepherd checked into the game in the opening minutes, his first playing time in two games after suffering a back injury against Kansas earlier this month. Just a few plays later, the junior forward was involved in a collision under the basket, where he immediately checked out of the game and did not return.

The Wildcats held TCU just 6/24 shooting from the field in the first half, an icy 25.0%. The Frogs finished with more turnovers (10) and fouls (10) than made field goals in the frame. Altogether, that performance led  to a 35-24 deficit at the break.

Kansas State wouldn't let off the gas in the second half, blowing things open midway through the frame to grab their largest lead of the night at 52-35. The Wildcats would keep a cold-shooting TCU team under control for the remainder of the game, eventually capturing the 14-point win.

The loss all but guarantees TCU will be the 10-seed in next month's Big 12 Tournament. After tiebreakers are factored in, the Frogs are effectively two games out of 9th place with just five games to go. TCU will close out the season with contests at #13 Iowa State, at Texas Tech, vs #25 Baylor, at Kansas State, and vs #3 Oklahoma. Unfortunately for Trent Johnson and his team, it seems more likely than not that the Frogs won't see another victory until November.

TCU travels to Ames to take on #13 Iowa State Saturday evening.