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Basketball:
Why TCU feels it has a chance to ‘make a big run’ in second half of Big 12 play | The Star-Telegram
At this point, they have to. The Frogs need 5-6 more wins to make the tourney.
“We have a really good chance to make a big run in the second half of the Big 12,” Robinson said. “We have a lot of home games. Our away games seem pretty manageable at this point.”
Winning at home is essential in the Big 12. TCU (15-6, 3-5 Big 12) is 3-0 in league play at home, and 0-5 on the road. And Oklahoma State (9-12, 2-6 Big 12) is in a down year, although its defeated a Top 25 team (LSU) as well as Texas.
The Cowboys are potent from 3-point range, too. They are the Big 12’s best 3-point shooting team at 38.6 percent, led by the conference’s best shooter, Lindy Waters III, from deep (46.5 percent).
Oklahoma State junior Thomas Dziagwa is another outside threat as he leads the conference in 3-point field goals made per game (3.0).
“They’re really talented. They’re dangerous,” Robinson said. “But we need to make sure that we handle our business and do what we’re supposed to do on the defensive end.”
Cowboy Basketball Begins Two-Game Road Swing With TCU | Oklahoma State Athletics
It’s the first time these two teams have met this season... and it’s a must-win for the Frogs.
Oklahoma State (9-12, 2-6 Big 12) and TCU (15-6, 3-5 Big 12) are both looking to put their last games in the rear-view mirror and get back into the win column with a Wednesday showdown in Fort Worth. Both losses came to teams tied atop the league standings, as the Cowboys fell to Kansas State, 75-57, and the Horned Frogs dropped a 90-64 decision at Baylor. TCU earned its first ever season sweep of OSU last season, but the Cowboys took both meetings in 2016-17. OSU is led by the sharpshooting trio of Cameron McGriff, Lindy Waters and Thomas Dziagwa, while Alex Robinson leads a TCU offense that ranks 14th nationally in assists per game at 17.2. Kouat Noi ranks seventh in the Big 12 with 14.9 points per game.
It’s an interesting battle for a team that has struggled against the deep ball.
“We lost our last two games and didn’t do the things we do well well,” Dixon said. “If you don’t do those, you’re going to put yourself in a tough position. We’re moving on and getting ready for this one.”
Dixon can only hope it was an anomaly, especially considering the Horned Frogs still sit second in the Big 12 with 131 3-point shots allowed -- three behind Texas Tech’s 128. On Monday, he said he’d prefer for his players to look at the grand scheme rather than recent trends.
”We’ve been really good,” Dixon said. “Either you focus on the last two games or what we’ve done all year long.
”We have a good history of it. It wasn’t like it wasn’t an emphasis in the last two games. It was clearly an emphasis going into the last game and it just didn’t go our way.”