Men’s Basketball: TCU suffers nine-point loss at Arizona in Big 12 opener

The Horned Frogs came close against the battle-tested Wildcats.

Despite coming to Tucson as a 14.5-point underdog, the TCU Horned Frogs put up a valiant effort against the Arizona Wildcats in the Big 12 season opener. TCU missed Frankie Collins and Brenden Wenzel yet lost by only nine points against the team projected to finish fifth in the newly improved Big 12. Sans two of its original starters, TCU trotted out Noah Reynolds, Vasean Allette, Trazarien White, David Punch, and Ernest Udeh Jr. for the third consecutive contest.

Allette and Co started slowly, appearing outmatched in a game against the battle-tested Wildcats. Arizona scored five quick points and stymied the Horned Frogs early, not allowing a basket until Udeh converted a short hook shot with just over 16 minutes to go. The Wildcats continued to pour it on, getting out on the break and whipping the ball around the perimeter, taking a 22-8 lead with just over 10 minutes to go.

Nonetheless, Allette stayed busy, scoring his eighth point of the game and cutting the lead to 12 after converting a fastbreak layup near the 10-minute mark. The Wildcats scored again, to bring the lead back to 14 before the Frogs forged a comeback. Reynolds and Udeh combined to score eight points in less than a minute to cut the lead to three. Following a quick spurt by the Wildcats, TCU caught back up to narrow the deficit to four at the half.

A Punch two-pointer cut the lead to one less than two minutes into the second half. After several minutes of back-and-forth action, another bucket from the freshman forward narrowed the deficit to one-point once again. Following Punch’s bucket, Arizona guard Caleb Love began to takeover. The fifth-year senior assisted on two baskets and connected on three triples within the four minutes of action to build the Wildcats’ lead to six, 67-61. TCU remained in striking distance, but could never cut the lead back down as the Wildcats stayed hot from the floor.

Just as the game felt out of reach, a Micah Robinson three-pointer, followed by a Reynolds triple kept the Wildcats on their toes. Arizona led by eight points with over two minutes, yet the Frogs appeared destined to comeback. Unfortunately for the Frogs, it was too little too late as the Wildcats held off the feisty Jamie Dixon-led squad. Arizona won its first Big 12 game 90-81 against the team it defeated two years ago in the Round of 32.

Love led the way for Arizona, scoring 33 points, grabbing seven boards, and dishing out seven assists. The former North Carolina Tar Heel converted on 5-of-11 three-pointers and all six of his free-throw attempts. Estonian big man Henri Veesaar added 15 off the bench. Reynolds led the Horned Frogs in scoring, dropping a season-high 23 points on an efficient 9-of-16 night from the floor. Allette was a close second, scoring 18 points albeit on 20 field goal attempts. Robinson added 10 off the bench, while Udeh recorded his third double-double of the season, scoring 10 and snatching 14 rebounds.

TCU will take on the Kansas State Wildcats at home on Saturday, January 4 before a bout against the 14th-ranked Houston Cougars on Monday, January 6.