TCU reaches 5 Big 12 wins for 1st time, beating Texas 78-63 (Feb 04, 2017)

By AP
Published

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) Jamie Dixon now has single-season sweeps of Texas as a TCU player and coach.

When Dixon was part of a sweep of the Longhorns as a senior guard in 1987, the Horned Frogs won the outright Southwest Conference title on way to their last NCAA Tournament victory.

The Horned Frogs are now trying to get back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998, and are making progress in Dixon's first season as coach.

''I'm really excited. It's special to us. Texas is Texas,'' Dixon said following a 78-63 home victory Saturday, after winning in Austin last month. ''It means something and we understand that.''

Vladimir Brodziansky scored 18 points, Alex Robinson had 17 points with eight assists and TCU (16-7, 5-5) reached five Big 12 wins for the first time since joining the league.

Jarrett Allen had 22 points and nine rebounds to lead Texas (9-13, 3-7), which led for only 23 seconds in the game.

This is fifth season in the Big 12 for the Frogs, who were coming off an overtime victory at Kansas State on Wednesday.

''We responded well to the great win at Kansas State and that's a sign of maturity,'' Dixon said. ''We executed well. It was a great team effort.''

As a junior, Dixon hit a long buzzer-beating shot in a game to beat the Longhorns under the same roof though the arena was recently completely renovated.

Texas was within a point with just under 15 minutes left before Brandon Parrish scored his only five points for TCU, making a layup and following a Longhorns miss with a 3-pointer. Robinson then added a layup.

''That was the difference, that run there,'' Texas coach Shaka Smart said. ''During that run we had some possessions on offense we'd love to have back. And then defensively, we just weren't aggressive enough.''

Freshman guard Jaylen Fisher had 12 points and five assists for the Frogs.

Andrew Jones, like Allen a freshman, had 14 points and seven rebounds for Texas. Shaquille Cleare had 12 points.

BIG PICTURE

Texas: The Longhorns, who shot 47 percent (27 of 58) overall in the game, struggled down the stretch, wiping out any chance of a comeback. They were outscored 16-6 and went 2 of 10 from the field in the final 9 minutes. Then TCU scored seven straight points in a 74-second span to stretch its lead to 14 points with 3:15 left.

TCU: The Horned Frogs won only eight Big 12 games combined their first four years in the league. Get a few more wins in the power league this season and they could be headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998, when they lost in the first round with Billy Tubbs as their coach.

DOUBLE CENTURY ASSISTS

For the first time since 2001-02, TCU has a pair of teammates with 100 assists each. Fisher's five assists Saturday gave him 101 for the season. Robinson has 128. The 100-assist duo 15 years ago consisted of Corey Santee (180) and Junior Blount (131).

LONGHORNS LEAD BIG

Texas has a 107-65 overall lead in the series that dates back to 1905, and has won 16 of the last 20 meetings. While this is TCU's first season sweep in 30 years, remember there was a long gap between the teams being together in the Southwest Conference (through the 1995-96 season) and their recent reunion in the Big 12.

UP NEXT

Texas: Home against Iowa State on Tuesday before crossing the Red River for consecutive games at Oklahoma State and then Oklahoma.

TCU: Stay home to play Texas Tech on Tuesday night.

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