TCU Falls in Big 12 Semis

After upsetting the #1 team in the nation yesterday, TCU was eliminated in the Semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament by #4 seed Iowa State, falling 84-63. The team just was not able to keep pace with the hot-shooting Cyclones after spending so much effort to take down Oklahoma and Kansas.

Things started off well for the Frogs, racing out to a 10-6 lead, but Deonte Burton went on a 5-0 mini-run to give the Cyclones the lead back. From there, Iowa State would catch fire and gradually extended their lead. The Cyclones took a 44-27 lead into the break after shooting 58.6% from the field in the first 20 minutes. They also were torching the Frogs from beyond the arc, where they went 6/13. Burton and Monte Morris led the way for Iowa State in the 1st half, finishing with a combined 25 points.

For the Frogs, it wasn’t a terrible half, but they just could not keep pace with the streaky shooters of Iowa State. TCU shot 42.9% from the field and was 3/7 from deep in the half. Vladimir Brodziansky and Brandon Parrish each scored 8 points in the 1st half. Kenrich Williams was able to pull down 5 rebounds in the half, but was held scoreless and only had a single field goal attempt.

Out of the break, it seemed like Iowa State would continue their incredible shooting as Burton extended the lead to 51-32 by knocking down his first 3 field goals. TCU kept with it and was able to pull within 14, but things started to get out of hand as the Cyclones made it 59-38 with a 7-0 run. From there, Iowa State only continued their offensive assault and was able to come away with the 84-63 victory

The Frogs’ numbers are a little skewed because they were playing catch-up for about 25 minutes, but they shot 39.3% from the field. They struggled from deep, only knocking down 26.3%. There were some positives for TCU, as they managed 15 assists to only 8 turnovers and held a +2 rebounding margin in the 2nd half.

Kenrich Williams led the way for TCU, finishing with 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jaylen Fisher and Vlad each added in 10 points and Parrish and Karviar Shepherd had 8 points each off the bench. One player who had a quiet night was Alex Robinson, who was held to 2 points on 1/8 shooting.

The Cyclones could not be stopped on offense, shooting 56.4% from the field and going 12/25 from beyond the arc. Burton was the star of the game for Iowa State and led them with 22 points. Morris also played very well and dropped in another 15 points. Solomon Young was a force for the Cyclones in the paint and finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds as well as 4 blocks.

I doubt the Horned Frogs will hear their name called when the NCAA Tournament field is announced on Sunday, but TCU should be heading to the NIT for the first time since 2005. They Frogs should be either a #2 or a #3 seed, meaning they should get to play one or two rounds at Schollmaier Arena.