Despite only playing one game, TCU men’s basketball finds itself with a lot of work to do after being upset 78-74 by New Orleans on Monday night in its season opener.
It was a shocking result for the fans who made the trip out to Schollmaier Arena as the new-look Horned Frogs were out of sorts most of the night. Part of the struggles Monday were due to injuries as forward Jace Posey and center Vianney Salatchoum missed the matchup with the Privateers.
Starting center Malick Diallo also exited the game in the first half with a lower leg injury. Even with the injuries, it was an unthinkable outcome for Jamie Dixon and the Horned Frogs, who believed they reloaded with the right pieces in the transfer portal.
New Orleans went 4-27 last season and finished last in the Southland Conference. The Privateers were 20-1 underdogs Monday at sportsbooks. TCU was favored by 21.5 points.
Despite trailing by as many as 20 points, TCU had one last chance to make a comeback in the final minutes as the Horned Frogs used a 14-2 run to cut the deficit to 72-64 with 2:57 remaining in the game. TCU would make it a two-possession game after a pair of free throws by Jayden Pierre cut it to 72-66 with 2:05 remaining.
Then the Horned Frogs forced a steal with the full-court press as Micah Robinson forced the turnover and then found Pierre for another bucket to cut it to 72-68 with 1:49 remaining.
TCU held off multiple New Orleans’ shots to get another stop with 1:19 remaining and Robinson knocked down two more free throws to cut it to 72-70. The Privateers would respond quickly with a layup by Tavaj Cope to extend the lead back to 74-70, but Brock Harding answered back with a last second pull-up jumper to cut it back to a one-possession game, 74-72, with 36.2 seconds remaining.
TCU forced another turnover on the inbounds pass and had two good looks from 3 to take the lead, but Pierre and Tanner Toolson missed and the Privateers got the ball back with 18.1 seconds remaining to put the game away.
Here are more takeaways from Monday’s shocking result:
Punch the bright spot
The sophomore forward was the lone Horned Frog that came to play as he showed how much work he put into his offensive game during the off-season. Punch scored multiple baskets from the post, showing improvement with his touch around the rim and post moves.
After scoring nine in the nine in the first half, Punch did his best to try and spark a comeback as he threw down a dunk attempt on a nice pass from Brock Harding to cut it to 57-44 with 11:34 remaining. Punch added another bucket inside a few minutes later, but the Privateers still maintained a 62-47 lead. Punch’s best sequence of the night helped spark the comeback.
After being stripped by a New Orleans defender, Punch chased him down and blocked the shot off glass. On the very next possession Punch scored a bucket inside to cut it to 70-58.
Punch finished with a team-high X points, added X rebounds and was the best defender for a unit that struggled to get stops all night.
Portal class underwhelms
While TCU’s new crop of transfer additions have strong moments at the end of the game, overall it was an underwhelming debut for the transfer that Dixon had so much confidence in during the preseason. Harding led TCU with six assists and had some good moments in transition, but he shot just 2-of-11 from the field and his lack of size made it hard for him to finish inside.
Pierre got hot late and finished with 11 points, but he was a non-factor most of the game. He went nearly 24 minutes of game-time between his first and second made field goal. Liutauras Lelevicius, a transfer forward from Oregon State, was probably the biggest surprise as he missed all six of his 3-point attempts and scored just six points.
Utah Valley transfer Tanner Toolson actually had some good moments on both ends of the floor and added seven points in 14 minutes. The Horned Frogs will need much more from their portal class if they hope to bounce back from Monday’s upset.