FORT WORTH — No.11 TCU enters Tuesday night’s home basketball game against Oklahoma, with its confidence growing each game.
The Horned Frogs are coming off one of their best wins in program history — an 83-60 blowout victory against the then-No.2-ranked Kansas Jayhawks at the historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse.
It was TCU’s second top-15 win in the span of a week. Its previous win over then-No. 11 Kansas State was followed by a midweek loss to West Virginia.
“I think we’ve just got to handle the moment better and be ready to adjust accordingly,” head coach Jamie Dixon said in an open media session before Monday’s practice.
“We have several top-20 wins this season, so we’ve given that talk a number of times this year,” he added.
TCU was picked to finish fourth in a loaded Big 12 Conference this season thanks to a veteran group of players that have grown together at the college level and are willing to do whatever it takes to win.
“When we all came back, we made it our goal,” said senior point guard Damion Baugh. We saw what we could do in the tournament. Kansas won it last year, and we were the last team to beat Kansas. We all knew it wouldn’t be easy, but we gotta stick together.”
Baugh declared for the NBA draft in the offseason but decided to return to school.
“I think that helped me,” he said when asked about his decision. “Just going through the process and coming back and telling the guys about it.”
However, the most improved player on the team may be Baugh’s backcourt mate, Mike Miles Jr.
The junior was selected as the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year and averages almost 19 points per game.
“We feed off each other,” Baugh said of the junior who leads the team in scoring. “I think that helps. Having a backcourt mate like that. He gets going, they focus on him. I get going, they focus on me. So we help each other a lot.”
Fifth-year senior forward Chuck O’Bannon also praised Miles at Monday afternoon’s press conference.
“He’s always had the natural scoring ability,” O’Bannon said. “Now, it’s more of a maturity thing. Knowing the game more. That’s what’s taken him to the next level.”
The trio of Miles, O’Bannon, and Baugh is joined in the starting lineup by energetic center Eddie Lampkin Jr. and skilled forward Emanuel Miller.
The Horned Frogs also have juniors Micah Peavy, Shahada Wells, Rondel Walker, and Xavier Cork coming off the bench.
The veterans have helped TCU approach the gauntlet that is the Big 12, but there is more work to be done.
“I think it’s the best conference I’ve ever been in,” remarked Dixon.
“Top to bottom, going into conference play, we had 10 NCAA tournament teams. We know it can’t happen because somebody’s gotta lose, but we have 10 clearly NCAA tournament teams,” Dixon continued of the Big 12. “All our teams are NCAA tournament teams, and no one’s ever been able to say that.”
TCU has three wins over ranked opponents this season and has five more left to play on its schedule.
“We need to come in every day mentally ready to take on the challenge and just focus on the next opponent. Not things that are coming later in the season,” added O’Bannon.
“We’ve shown flashes all season,” O’Bannon continued. “We can do a lot of good things on the basketball court. Right now, it’s about staying consistent.”
The next test will be Tuesday night against Oklahoma.
The Sooners are led by Nevada transfer Grant Sherfield, who averages 17 points per game and shoots 44.2% from three-point range.
When asked about defending Sherfield and the Sooners on Monday, Dixon said,
“We’ve done well with guards that have the ball a lot in their hands. They’re a well-rounded offensive team. They’re patient, and they play well in the halfcourt.”
The game will tip-off at 7 p.m. CT at TCU’s Schollmaier Arena.
