TCU Loses To Oklahoma
FORT WORTH, Texas — Buddy Hield wasn’t going to downplay expectations for the Oklahoma Sooners going into tournament play.
The favorite to win national player of the year honors believes that the sixth-ranked Sooners should be the last team standing, a statement he made following a 75-67 victory over TCU in the regular-season finale on Saturday at Schollmaier Arena.
“We can win it all to be honest with you,” said Hield, who had a game-high 21 points. “We’ve just got to fix the little things — moving the ball and playing together as a group and trusting each other — and I think there’s no doubt our team can win it all.
“We have a good coach, good players and all the pieces to win it all.”
Nobody is going to question that even though Oklahoma endured a closer-than-expected game from TCU with the Big 12 tournament set to get underway next week.
But a win is a win for Oklahoma, which closed the regular season 24-6 overall and 12-6 in Big 12 play. With a strong showing in the Big 12 tournament, the Sooners could keep themselves in the mix for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Along with Hield, Jordan Woodard had 13 points, Ryan Spangler finished with 11 and Isaiah Cousins had 10 for the Sooners.
TCU, meanwhile, saw its losing streak extend to seven games in another disappointing campaign under Trent Johnson.
The Horned Frogs had a nine-game improvement in
the win column and finished above-.500 a year ago in Johnson’s third season, but has taken a significant step back this year at 11-20, 2-16.
Johnson admitted as much, saying: “That’s been disappointing to me. I’m my own worst enemy in that regard, and I’ve got to get it corrected in a hurry.”
But, to Johnson’s and the Horned Frogs’ credit, the team hasn’t given in. They stayed within striking distance for most of the game Saturday, but never seemed to be a real threat to take down the deeper, more talented Sooners.
Brandon Parrish finished with 20 points for the Horned Frogs, Chauncey Collins added 12 and Vlad Brodziansky had 10.
Oklahoma had lost four of seven games to close out last month before starting March with a 73-71 victory over Baylor on Monday, and TCU did its best to find a way to hand Oklahoma another loss.
The Sooners appeared to have the game in hand early in the second half, opening on an 8-2 run for a 40-32 lead. That run was highlighted by an alley-oop dunk by Khadeem Lattin from Spangler.
Another alley-oop dunk by Jamuni McNeace from Woodard later in the half put Oklahoma up 44-37, and they quickly made it 46-37 the next time down the court.
TCU showed some resolve, closing to within 46-45 by the 10-minute mark, getting seven of the eight points from Malique Trent and shutting down the Sooners for more than three minutes.
Oklahoma, though, never surrendered the lead and made the shots when it mattered most. Hield knocked down a clutch 3-pointer to make it 60-52 with 5:40 left, and it stayed a multi-possession game from that point on.
“Buddy … they need to go ahead and give him that (Naismith) award,” Johnson said. “I’m not one to throw compliments around, but since I’ve been a head coach, I thought he is as improved as much as any player I’ve been around with the exception of probably Russell Westbrook. He’s a great kid.
“They have a chance to go far. I’d be surprised if there are not two teams from our league (Oklahoma and Kansas) that are in Houston.”
TCU pulled to within 72-67 with on a 3-pointer by J.D. Miller with 1:04 left, but Oklahoma made its free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Oklahoma, which averaged 12.6 turnovers a game going into it, turned the ball over 17 times. That, however, was offset by an impressive shooting display, knocking down 50 percent from the field (23-of-46) and 50 percent (11-of-22) from 3-point range.
“It was one of those games on the road where you’ve got to grind it every possession and try to get some stops and convert some,” Kruger said. “We shot well enough to cover up some other things. … A good road win.”
The Horned Frogs, despite entering on a six-game losing streak, stayed competitive throughout and were particularly impressive in the opening half.
TCU had leads of 6-0 and 16-8 in the first half before the Sooners went on an 11-2 run to take a 19-18 lead on a 3-pointer by Hield.
Still, it remained a one-possession game until halftime, with Oklahoma taking a 31-30 lead to the locker rooms. Spangler had nine points, and Hield had eight for the Sooners in the first half.
TCU was led by Parrish, who had 12 points in the first half.
Asked about staying competitive in the midst of a lost season, Parrish said: “It’s an internal thing. From the outside, everybody thinks we should kind of give in and act like it’s over and just shift our focus towards next season.
“But, internally, we want something bigger than that. We don’t want to wait till next year. We want it now.”
