Texas Basketball: Longhorns Crack Against TCU in Another Road Loss

The Texas Longhorns Basketball team remained winless on the road this season after losing to TCU on Saturday afternoon.

Texas Basketball dropped its latest road game 78-63 after losing their poise against TCU. The final score is misleading, as this was a tightly contested game throughout.

The problem in the second half was Texas’ young guards were hesitant and inconsistent on the offensive end. Then, on the defensive end, the Horns failed to guard in transition when the Horned Frogs suddenly sped up the game.

TCU did not take its first double-digit lead until 6:00 remained in the game. Texas quickly got within single digits before the game flipped on a key play.

With 4:38 remaining, Andrew Jones attacked the basket in transition and was fouled hard by TCU big man Karviar Shepherd. (The foul was officially credited to TCU’s Jaylen Fisher.) This brought over Texas guard Eric Davis to express his discontent and get in Shepherd’s face. The scuffle fired up TCU in their home building.

Jones made one of two free throws to make it 67-60, then TCU ripped off a 7-0 run. A seven-point game quickly turned into a 14-point advantage for TCU.

After Jones’s free throw, the Horns only scored three points the rest of the game. Shots did not fall, transition defense suffered, and the Horns completely lost focus as the game slipped out of reach.

Overall, Shaka Smart’s team only made 2-13 three-pointers, compared to 8-21 for TCU. Texas did not make a single three-pointer in the second half.

Feb 4, 2017; Fort Worth, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs forward Karviar Shepherd (32) is called for the foul after blocking the shot of Texas Longhorns guard Andrew Jones (1) during the second half at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. TCU won 78-63. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Young Texas Longhorns Could Not Crack TCU

Texas led 2-0 at the start of the game when Kerwin Roach picked off a cross-court pass and delivered an emphatic dunk on the other end. That was the Longhorns’ only lead of the game.

TCU out-executed the Horns for a long stretch of the first half, but Texas got within one score. That’s when Andrew Jones heaved a rainbow three-pointer that appeared to tie the game at 21-21. But, his shot was a split-second late and waved off due to a shot clock violation.

It’s been that kind of season for Texas. The Longhorns never tied the rest of the half and the Horns were down three at halftime.

Then, at the start of the second half, the Horns continually got within one or two points. Again, Andrew Jones had a chance to change the course of the game. But, with Texas down 41-39, Jones missed a wide open three-pointer in transition. It would have given Texas their first lead since 2-0, but TCU grabbed the missed shot and turned it into points on their end.

Texas got within one point at 15:37, but TCU surprised Shaka Smart’s team by speeding up the game with transition offense. In the first half, TCU slowed the pace and out-executed the Horns. But, TCU took a different approach in the second half. The Horns were unable to match up in transition and allowed too many open looks at the basket. Or, allowed TCU to crash the offensive rebounds for easy putbacks.

Every time Texas scored, the Horned Frogs responded with points on the other end, frustrating Texas. This pattern continued throughout the second half until TCU bust the game open at the end.

Jarrett Allen Shined In Loss

Freshman star Jarrett Allen nearly logged a double-double in defeat. Allen scored 22 points on 9-14 shooting and grabbed 9 rebounds. He also picked up three steals and registered two blocks. He played 36 of 40 minutes and only picked up one personal foul.

Unfortunately, the guards had a difficult time getting Allen the ball. TCU did a good job clogging the lanes and playing tough perimeter defense. This affected Andrew Jones, who had 5 turnovers in the game.

Texas’ young guards were too inconsistent finding the open man in the paint, whether Allen or Shaq Cleare. But, they were really good when they played well, as shown by 7 assists from Jones and 5 from Kerwin Roach. In fact, Texas had 17 assists to 12 turnovers, which was a flip from their typical assist-to-turnover ratio.

But, the inconsistency, lack of response when the other team goes on runs, and hot and cold streaks continue to plague this young Longhorns team.

After playing tough for 34 minutes, Texas finally cracked at the end. The Horned Frogs play like a really good YMCA team that grinds you down and out-executes. There’s nothing flashy; it’s just frustrating. And, the Horns eventually let it get to them when they could not break through in the second half.