How much is a star player worth in college basketball?
In the case of TCU guard Mike Miles Jr., how about 31 points? That’s how big the swing was from the Horned Frogs 79-73 loss at Oklahoma State on Feb. 4 without Miles to Saturday’s dominating 100-75 payback win over the Cowboys in Miles’ first game since Jan. 28.
In a span of about two hours on Saturday afternoon all the panic that was building up during the four-game losing streak while Mile was recovering from a knee injury was quickly washed away with a historic performance.
TCU had its third-highest field goal percentage in program history. The Horned Frogs were the first team to score 100 points against Oklahoma State in more than 150 games. TCU hasn’t scored 100 points against a conference opponent since 2002.
How quickly things can change when you have a player like Miles back on the floor, huh?
“They played like a team that had a tremendous amount of purpose,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Bonyton said after the defeat. “It helped to have the Preseason Player of the Year, I think it helped lift up those other guys.”
Bonyton makes a good point that Miles’ impact went much beyond his 15 points on 50% shooting. It allowed his teammates to slide back into roles they’re more comfortable with and his presence was enough to inspire confidence even if he wasn’t being overly aggressive.
Just look at players like Micah Peavy and Emanuel Miller. Some of the offensive moves Peavy displayed against a good defensive team were eye opening while Miller had his best game in nearly a month.
“I don’t want to over simplify this, but there’s a reason he was picked as the best player in the best league in the country,” Bonyton said. “To play without him, now you have guys who are good players who are doing things they weren’t expecting to have to do.
“It’s not that they’re not capable, but the expectation and the way they prepared for this season was he’s the guy, he sets the tone for what everybody else does. Without him you can take away the strengths of the other guys because you’re not as worried about what he’s going to do.”
What Bonyton is referring to is something similar to gravitational pull. Think about Stephen Curry with Golden State. He creates so much space on offense because he pulls defenders out further and further from the paint whether he has the ball or not because of his lethal shooting ability.
Now apply that same thinking to Miles who pulls more defenders towards him on drives and cuts which creates more opportunities for others. It’s not a coincidence the Horned Frogs had a staggering 28 assists in his return.
Bonyton went onto to add that TCU played with a level of desperation due to the skid, but TCU coach Jamie Dixon pushed back on that.
“I just felt like we were a new team ready to go,” Dixon said. “I don’t think we’re playing different, I wanted to take that (narrative) away and I showed the guys our NET, this is where we are. You guys have to write stories and it’s going to be the end of the world, but we’re fine and we’re good. This is our time and that was the message.”
Well not all media members were pushing the panic button, but Dixon’s point remains valid. Once the program knew Miles wouldn’t be out for the season it was about just treading water until he returned. TCU was never in any real danger of sliding from a top-four seed to the bubble.
Now with their MVP back, the Horned Frogs have enough time and quality opponents left to rapidly improve their seeding. It wasn’t desperation that spurred TCU on Saturday, it was confidence.
“We were whole, it’s pretty simple,” Dixon said. “You look a lot better when you have all your guys and not have guys in different spots, different positions, different roles. This is our time.”
The stage is now set for a massive game on Monday against a Top-5 Kansas team coming off an impressive comeback win over Baylor.
The Jayhawks will be aiming to avenge the embarrassing 83-60 loss TCU delivered at Allen Fieldhouse while the Horned Frogs are trying to jump back in the group with other national contenders.
Miles has probably missed too many games to beat out Kansas forward Jalen Wilson for POY or win any of the major national awards, but if Miles can lead TCU to a sweep of the Jayhawks how could he not skyrocket back to the top of the field while also launching TCU back closer to the top-10?
When Miles isn’t on the floor, TCU has shown its capable of losing to anybody, including a Northwestern State. But when Miles is available, TCU has shown it’s among the country’s elite.
“Peak TCU is STILL the best team in the Big 12,” CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein tweeted Saturday. “REMEMBER: Horned Frogs already won this season at Kansas, by 23, and Baylor.”
Bonyton took a step further in his praise for the Horned Frogs.
“They’re a team that can make a run all the way,” Bonyton said. “Playing late March, early April. That’s how good they are.”
With Miles back in action, everything is back on the table for TCU, including a season sweep of the Kansas Jayhawks.
