FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU ended its four-game losing streak emphatically with a 100-75 blowout win over Oklahoma State on Saturday.
The return of Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Mike Miles Jr. and a fully healthy Eddie Lampkin Jr. helped the Horned Frogs look like the team was that 16-4 before Miles went down with an injury at Mississippi State on Jan. 28.
Lampkin made an early impact by getting Oklahoma State star Kalib Boone into early foul trouble. Boone played just five minutes in the first half and finished with just three points after scoring 25 in the win in Stillwater on Feb. 4.
Meanwhile Miles was the catalyst for the Horned Frogs on offense as TCU picked apart one of the top defenses in the country. Miles scored six of his 15 points during the decisive 25-6 at the end of the first half and was even better in the second half.
Miles hit a circus shot to open the half followed by a transition basket by Emanuel Miller. Micah Peavy capped the 7-0 blitz with a step-back 3-pointer that made it 54-27 with 17:22 remaining. Any hopes of a comeback were quickly squashed as the Horned Frogs rolled the rest of the way.
Six players scored in double figures with Miller leading the way with 18 points while Baugh had 16 points and 11 assists.
The return of Miles
With Miles back in action TCU looked like the team that was beginning to peak at the end of the last month.
Miles was patient as he picked his spots early in the game. But during the decisive 25-6 run to close the first half, Miles started to find his rhythm. Miles hit Cowboys shot blocker Moussa Cisse with a crafty fake pass and then hit a layup over him while being fouled for a three-point play.
Those were three of the six points he scored in about a minute of game time. His nine first-half points helped TCU hold a commanding 20-point lead at halftime. Miles kept attacking in the second half with six more points and lived at the free throw line. His ability to get downhill stressed the Oklahoma State defense and opened up scoring chances for others as well.
The Cowboys has the second-best scoring defense in the Big 12 and were ranked in the top-40 nationally. In Miles’ first game back, Oklahoma State allowed the most points it has all season.
Long distance barrage
We know how mightily TCU has struggled with its 3-point shooting, but on Saturday all the work the Horned Frogs have been putting into improving paid off. The Horned Frogs hit 53% (8 of 15) of their attempts, well above their 28% season average.
Peavy led the charge with two 3-pointers and showed confidence on more mid-range jumpers. Five other players knocked down 3-pointers including Damion Baugh, Chuck O’Bannon and JaKobe Coles. It’s rare the Horned Frogs are the more efficient team from outside, but TCU held the Cowboys to just 33% shooting.
Expecting TCU to make half of their 3-point attempts is of course unrealistic, but it was an encouraging performance nonetheless. The Horned Frogs don’t need to be prolific from 3, they just need to be competent to have more results like Saturday’s.
Complete masterpiece
Head coach Jamie Dixon wanted TCU to get back to its defensive standard and the Horned Frogs were locked in after they adjusted to the Cowboys early offensive strategy. Oklahoma State took advantage of TCU switching every ball screen.
Those mismatch scenarios would lead to quality looks from in the paint and behind the 3-point line as the Cowboys only trailed 22-21 with just over eight minutes until halftime. Dixon turned to full court pressure to unsettle Oklahoma State and it worked to perfection. The Cowboys missed their next five shots and also turned the ball over four times while TCU used a 10-0 run to take an 11-point lead.
A Caleb Asberry 3 broke the Cowboys scoring drought, but it wasn’t enough to slow TCU down. Chuck O’Bannon had one of the top plays of the game as he grabbed an offensive rebound mid-air and was able to make the putback basket while being fouled. A Shahada Wells steal and Miles free throw put the Horned Frogs ahead 39-24.
Miller capped off the half with a 3-pointer from the top of the key that made it 47-27. TCU finished the half by making 65% of their attempts. It was the best stretch of basketball the Horned Frogs have displayed in almost a month.
