Short-handed TCU’s valiant effort not enough in Big 12 opener at Arizona

Despite a valiant effort on the road, TCU fell 90-81 in its Big 12 opener against the Arizona Wildcats on Monday.

TCU may not have won but in the process of the gutty effort against the Wildcats, the Horned Frogs showed they shouldn’t be counted out yet in the league.

On paper, the Wildcats’ 7-5 record isn’t impressive, but Arizona started the season as a preseason top-10 team and still has one of the most talented rosters in the country. Two of those losses came against top-15 opponents Duke and Oklahoma.

Make no mistake, Arizona is still a quality team that could make a run into the top-25 and TCU was able to go blow for blow with the Wildcats despite being short-handed.

The Horned Frogs had to go against one of the most talented backcourts in the Big 12 without their point guard Frankie Collins Jr. and their best shooter Brendan Wenzel. Early on it was easy to see how much the Horned Frogs missed both of them.

In the first half, TCU’s offense was disjointed and underwhelming as the Horned Frogs shot below 30% most of the first 15 minutes of the game. On multiple occasions the Horned Frogs trailed by double digits including facing a 39-28 deficit with just 2:44 remaining in the half.

Considering how much TCU struggled during its non-conference schedule, it would’ve been easy for the Horned Frogs to fold, but instead the Horned Frogs came alive as their defense began to feast on Arizona turnovers.

The Horned Frogs turned a double digit deficit into a 41-37 game as Vasean Allette and Noah Reynolds sparked a furious comeback. The second half was much of the same story as the Horned Frogs were able to hang around with the Wildcats due to arguably one of the best offensive performances of the year.

Ultimately it wasn’t enough as Arizona’s Caleb Love was the best player on the court with 31 points and five 3-pointers. That is where the absence of Collins was felt the most as the transfer point guard was known for his defensive intensity, but even as Love was doing his best to end the game, TCU had a positive development with one of its own guards.

Reynolds has been up and down this season, but the Green Bay transfer had his best game as a Horned Frog with 23 points, seven assists and three 3-pointers with just one turnover as the new floor general.

It was Reynolds that hit back-to-back buckets that made back-to-back buckets to cut Arizona’s lead to 58-55 with 12:29 remaining in the game. Reynolds will be arguably the most important player down the stretch, especially until Wenzel returns to the lineup, which could be in a couple of weeks.

But the fact that Reynolds was able to hold his own against Love, Jaden Bradley and former Duncanville star KJ Lewis, is something TCU could be encouraged by.

The three-point deficit is the closet TCU would get in the final 10 minutes as Arizona’s guards took over. After an Isaiah Manning three cut it to 64-61, Love, Bradley and Lewis scored nine straight points for the Wildcats as they increased their lead to 73-64 during the decisive run.

If there was a concern to emerge from Monday it’s about whether or not TCU’s defensive excellence can continue as they face better competition. The Horned Frogs entered Big 12 play with a top-30 scoring defense and defensive rating, but Arizona was able to pick TCU’s defense apart as the Wildcats shot nearly 57% from the field and only turned the ball over seven times in the game.

Was that just about the talent of Arizona’s roster coming together or is indicative of future defensive problems for TCU without Collins spearheading the defense?

Big 12 play will continue to be a challenge, but there aren’t many teams in the league that have Arizona’s combination of shot-making and experience. It didn’t result in a win tonight, but if TCU continues to get this type of production from Reynolds and even young players like Micah Robinson (13 points) then maybe the Horned Frogs could make more noise than anticipated in the Big 12.