Late 3-pointer lifts TCU over John Calipari, Arkansas in exhibition game

The Horned Frogs overcame a double-digit deficit and Brendan Wenzel hit a last-second 3-pointer to knock off John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks 66-65 in an exhibition showcase at Dickies Arena on Friday night.

The Horned Frogs fell behind by 13 points late in the third quarter, but battled back with a 8-0 run at the end of the quarter. With 3:16 remaining in the game, TCU trailed 65-63.

After a number of highlight defensive plays from both teams, TCU had an opportunity to tie or take the lead with 1:39 remaining. But the Horned Frogs committed a turnover as Ernest Udeh’s pass bounced out of bounds off Frankie Collins.

After getting two clutch defensive stops, Trazarien White found an open Wenzel in the corner for the go-ahead 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining. Arkansas’ last-second heave fell short of the rim as TCU completed its dramatic comeback.

TCU’s bigs battle

The center spot will be one of the biggest storylines for TCU this season with the youth of the position. Against an experienced Arkansas frontcourt, the Horned Frogs’ big men more than held their own. Returning starter Udeh was the key big on the floor most of the night as he scored eight first-half points. Udeh had just five games last season with eight or more points.

Defensively, he kept the skilled Zvonimir Ivisic in check. Ivisic, a Kentucky transfer who followed Calipari, had just three points and missed four of his first five attempts. When Udeh wasn’t on the floor, freshman forward David Punch filled in with quality minutes and had good moments against more experienced players. But his inexperience also showed at times in the second half as Arkansas began to take control of the game.

Freshman center Malick Diallo played sparingly in the third quarter to give Udeh a breather. But down the stretch the staff relied upon Udeh and Punch, with Udeh making a key defensive play in the fourth quarter when his block led to a bucket that cut Arkansas’ lead to 60-58.

Udeh finished with a team-high 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

The impact of Collins

The Horned Frogs struggled in their previous exhibition against Texas when Arizona State transfer Frankie Collins left early with an injury. Collins had another brief injury scare against Arkansas as he took a blow to the head early in the first quarter while attempting a steal. TCU would fall behind 7-2 while Collins took a breather on the bench, but when he returned to the game he showed why he’ll be so valuable this season.

TCU immediately settled down and started running a much more coherent offense in the half court to take a 20-19 lead after the first quarter. Collins established good chemistry with Udeh as the two connected for four alley-oops and he also played tremendous on-ball defense when matched up with five-star freshman Boogie Fland. Collins’ shot wasn’t falling, but he hit a key basket during TCU’s 8-0 run at the end of the third quarter to help the Horned Frogs get back into the game.

In the fourth quarter, Collins had another key moment when he found an open Vesean Allette in the corner for a 3-pointer that cut Arkansas’ lead to 56-54. Collins finished with 10 points and six assists.

One-man army

Arkansas had the best player on the floor as Adou Thiero had dominant stretches throughout the first half. The high-flying forward started hot in the first quarter as he scored 11 points and made five of his six attempts. Thiero, who followed Calipari from Kentucky, showed off his ability as a three-level scorer as he knocked down a three in the first half, got inside the lane at will and also had a few highlight dunks.

One came in the second quarter when Thiero shook off a foul from Udeh to throw down a dunk that made it 27-25 after he converted the three-point play. After being mostly quiet in the third quarter, Thiero converted another highlight three-point play as he made a smooth up-and-under layup while being fouled. That play gave Arkansas one of its biggest leads of the game.

Thiero added to his highlight reel in the fourth quarter when he blocked a potential game-tying layup from Noah Reynolds with 2:29 remaining. Thiero finished with a game-high 20 points.