TCU 58, Kansas 63: An Opportunity Wasted

Two days removed from perhaps its best offensive performance of the season, TCU men’s basketball went ice cold from the field during Monday evening’s showdown against No. 3 Kansas, shooting only 30.3 percent overall and missing eight free throws as the Jayhawks escaped Fort Worth with a 63-58 win. Despite Kansas finishing without a made field goal over the final 4:45 of regulation, TCU was unable to take advantage, with only one player shooting over 50 percent from the field in the loss. Jakobe Coles scored 12 points on 5-of-8 off the bench for the Horned Frogs (18-10, 7-8 Big 12), who will travel to Texas Tech next.

There were some positives for the Horned Frogs, who outrebounded Kansas 12-9 on the offensive end and committed only seven turnovers in the loss. TCU also held standout forward Jalen Wilson in check, limiting him to only seven points on 3-of-11 shooting. Wilson scored 30 points when the Jayhawks fell against the Horned Frogs at home earlier this season. Mike Miles Jr. led TCU with 13 points on Monday, while Damion Baugh added 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. The two guards struggled from the field, finishing a combined 8-for-30 overall. Eddie Lampkin Jr. notched eight rebounds and Emanuel Miller, who had eight points on just 2-of-9 shooting, added seven rebounds.

TCU held the Jayhawks to 39.4 percent shooting and 18.8 percent shooting from the 3-point line. The Horned Frogs also outpaced Kansas from the charity stripe, where TCU earned 21 free-throw attempts while the Jayhawks took only 12. The Horned Frogs continued to struggle from the line, however, finishing in the 60-percent range or worse for the fifth consecutive game. Kansas opened the game on a 7-0 run before Miller made TCU’s first field goal of the evening at the 15:27 mark in the first half. The Jayhawks held a 33-29 halftime lead, but never led by more than seven points through the entire second half. Baugh’s layup with 4:19 remaining was the last made field goal for TCU in the loss.

Both teams scored 19 fastbreak points on Monday, with TCU holding a slight 10-7 advantage in points off turnovers. The Horned Frogs once again saw their bench deliver, outscoring the Kansas bench 19-10 in the loss. TCU will have three regular season games remaining, with the Horned Frogs hosting Texas next Wednesday and facing Oklahoma on the road next Saturday before tipping off the Big 12 Conference tournament in early March.