TCU Men's Basketball Falls To No. 1 Baylor
Coming out of the second half, TCU men's basketball held a firm lead over the nation's top team, the Baylor Bears (15-0, 3-0 Big 12). Chuck O'Bannon's three pointer in the opening seconds of that half pushed TCU's lead to 11, 41-30.
That's when Baylor exhibited why they're the top team in the nation.
In the next six minutes, the Bears went on a 22-4 run and never surrendered the lead. TCU made a valiant 9-1 run to bring the game within one point, 54-53, but Baylor was able to keep the game in their hands the rest of the way.
Baylor won the game 76-64. TCU snapped a seven-game win streak and fell to 10-2 (0-1) on the season.
Mike Miles once again led the Frogs in scoring with 26 points, 18 of which came in the first half.
The Bears have now won 21 straight games, dating back to last season. They sank 13 shots from beyond the arc and had two players break 20 points– Adam Flagler (22) and James Akinjo (20).
Despite the loss, fans should be excited about what transpired Saturday.
After not playing for 18 days due to a COVID outbreak among the team, the Frogs came out of the gate swinging. Their last game was against Grambling State before Christmas on Dec. 21.
TCU was also able to hold Baylor under their season average in scoring (82.8, 12th nationally). While the second half wasn't the best defensive effort, there was a lot to like from this game.
It also should be a positive outlook on a potential ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Baylor is currently the unanimous AP No. 1– if TCU can muster this effort for the rest of the season, they're going to upend plenty of ranked conference foes and find themselves vying for a spot in the final 64 teams this March.
While a win would have been one of TCU Men's Basketball's finest moments, we can't be too upset with a competitive loss to the reigning champions.
Next up for TCU is a road date with Kansas State (8-6, 0-3). They travel to Manhattan, Kansas, on Wednesday and tipoff is at 8:00 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
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