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Basketball:
People forget what a difference a healthy Fisher makes for the Frogs, especially on offense. His return, along with Robinson’s strong start, has TCU rolling on that end of the floor.
“He shoots the ball well so he gives us another so he gives another guy to spot,” TCU head coach Jamie Dixon said. “He spaces the floor, on the perimeter he’s a consistent shooter and he’s obviously a great ball handler.”
Fisher averaged 12.3 points and 5.4 assists per game last season before the meniscus injury. But Dixon was quick to note the impact the junior has on the team even when the ball is not in his hands -- something TCU missed early on this season.
”He plays so hard and spaces the floor with his movement,” Dixon said. “That’s something we realized while he was out and it’s been reinforced since he has been back. He’s made our offense better without shooting at a high, high percentage ... he’s one of our guys playing without the ball.”
Football:
Bowl season Gary is my favorite Gary, especially from a quote standard.
Don’t be surprised if TCU coach Gary Patterson adds baby aspirin to his Christmas wish list this holiday season.
That’s what Patterson joked he’d need if TCU and Cal are headed toward a gritty, grind-it-out game at the Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix on Dec. 26.
“When you get to my age, you have got to take a lot of baby aspirin when you do that,” Patterson said, chuckling.
Well, all signs point toward this TCU-Cal matchup fitting the “gritty” and “grind-it-out” bill. Vegas has pegged TCU as 2-point favorites over Cal, according to VegasInsider.com.
Every bowl is a good bowl, after all.
“We don’t look at it like [a low-tier bowl],” Patterson said. “Every bowl game is a great game, and you will play against a great opponent. Cal is no different.”
And as TCU prepares for its trek to the desert, the Golden Bears team that awaits them -- Wilcox finishing his second season in Berkeley -- is set to make for an intriguing matchup of two defensive-minded coaches.
Cal ended the season with the No. 16 defense in the nation, allowing an average of 318.5 yards per game and holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points on six occasions. TCU, meanwhile, finished with the Big 12’s top defense after allowing an average of 344.4 yards per game.
”I have a lot of respect for what they do, how they do, and the guys on [Wilcox’s] staff,” Patterson said. “The have lots of experience slowing people down, stopping people and winning.”