TCU 90, Grambling State 55: Frogs dominate Tigers behind trio of stellar performances

TCU obliterated Grambling State on Tuesday night 90-55, even without Mike Miles to lead things offensively. Miles missed the game with a non-COVID illness, but a trio of Frogs stepped up in big ways in his absence.

Chuck O’Bannon set a new career-high, scoring 19 points to lead TCU in scoring. O’Bannon also pulled down eight rebounds in the victory. The USC transfer has been on a tear over the last three games, scoring 52 points on 51.5% shooting from the floor and 47.1% shooting from three.

Emanuel Miller recorded his fourth double double of the season, scoring a season-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. Miller also went 5-7 from the free throw line, and found himself on the floor battling for loose balls multiple times. After the game he reiterated what he’s said previously, that his only goal is to do whatever helps the team win.

Damion Baugh finished the night with 13 points and 11 assists. It was the first points-assists double-double for a Horned Frog since Alex Robinson Jr. scored 13 points and dished 11 dimes in a win over Sam Houston State on March 20, 2019.

The Frogs shot 47.6% from the floor on the night, and shot 42.3% from three. It was TCU’s second straight 40%+ shooting performance from range, a welcome sight for fans, but also for the coaching staff.

TCU has some capable shooters on the roster, between Miles, O’Bannon, Francisco Farabello and Jakobe Coles, it’s just a matter of hitting shots when they’re open. If the Frogs can continue to hit shots from deep, the offense could become a force to match what TCU is doing defensively and on the glass.

Grambling State has gone on the road against Texas Tech, Iowa State, and UConn already this season, and none matched TCU’s scoring output against the Tigers.

TCU pulled down 20 offensive rebounds on the night (Miller had six by himself) and recorded 52 overall, continuing the trend of being one of the best rebounding teams in the country.

Coming into Tuesday’s contest TCU was 6th in the nation in rebounding, averaging 42.90 boards per contest, and 2nd in offensive rebounding, averaging 15.50 per game.

While Miles’ absence was big, the Frogs were also without key interior defender Xavier Cork, who injured his right foot in practice earlier in the week and was seen with crutches and a boot on the sideline.

Cork’s absence meant more time for Souleymane Doumbia, who finished with nine points, six rebounds, and three blocks in 19 minutes. Dixon praised him after the game saying the transfer center has earned more minutes with the way he’s practiced.

TCU took a few minutes to get oriented on offense without Miles, but multiple Frogs stepped up in his absence to provide scoring.

Chuck O’Bannon continued his hot shooting over the past week with 13 first half points, including 3-of-6 from three point range to pace the Frogs. He and Emanuel Miller (12 first half points) helped spark the Frogs on a 16-0 run over a seven minute stretch in the first half that saw TCU’s lead grow from 20-17 to 36-17.

The Frogs continued to pour it on in the final minutes of the first half, and carried a 47-28 lead into the break.

TCU could have easily let up in the second half with such a dominant lead, but the Frogs continued to pour it on. O’Bannon noted after the game that with the way the new NET Rankings work, which take margin of victory into account, the Frogs knew they had to keep their foot on the gas.

The Frogs now move to 10-1 on the season, matching their best start since the 2018-19 campaign that got out to a 12-1 start.

TCU now breaks for the holiday before coming back to host Texas Southern on the 29th. It’s TCU’s final non-conference game before they kick off their Big 12 schedule on New Year’s Day at Kansas.

Check out the full postgame interviews below. (an amber alert went off during Dixon’s postgame meeting, thus, the two part video).