TCU men’s basketball opens season with blowout win over Florida A&M in front of Shaq

TCU started the season in style Monday night with a dominating 105-59 win over Florida A&M at Schollmaier Arena.

The Horned Frogs allowed the Rattlers to score the first points of the game, but never looked back after that point. The Horned Frogs used a 15-2 run to break the game open sparked by Brendan Wenzel.

Wenzel, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer against Arkansas in last Friday’s exhibition, scored five of the first seven points during the run as TCU’s defense swarmed FAMU’s ball handlers all night.

The Horned Frogs would continue to break the game open with three straight 3-pointers from Frankie Collins and Jace Posey to take a 18-7 lead with 12:41 remaining in the first half. The Horned Frogs would go on another run, this time 12-0, as starting center Ernest Udeh started to get more touches.

Udeh scored five points during the run, including a nice hook shot on the block. Freshman wing Micah Robinson capped the run with a corner 3-pointer as the Horned Frogs took a commanding 30-7 lead with 9:42 remaining in the first half.

The Horned Frogs made 11 of their 16 3-point attempts in the first half to take a 59-22 lead at halftime. TCU was never challenged down the stretch as the Horned Frogs led by as many as 48. Vasean Allette led TCU with 20 points while Ernest Udeh added 13 points and 11 rebounds.

There will be stiff competition in the future, but for a team that brought back just one player from last year’s rotation it was an impressive debut nonetheless.

Guard trio

Before the season Jamie Dixon said he believed TCU upgraded at the three guard spots after the departures of Jameer Nelson Jr., Trey Tennyson and Avery Anderson. If the first game was any indication, then Dixon’s prediction could be spot on as TCU’s three guards — Collins, Noah Reynolds, and Allette all flourished against the Rattlers.

Collins produced a complete stat line with 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Collins’ ball pressure wrecked havoc on FAMU when the Rattlers tried to get into their sets and most of the steals resulted in points for TCU. Like midway through the second half when Collins ripped the ball from Jocobi Hendricks and found a wide open Allette for an easy layup.

Allette continued to thrive in his role as the team’s primary scorer off the bench. Allette knocked down a 3-pointer in the first half and showcased a deep bag of dribble moves that he used to get in the paint to create his own shot. He scored 13 points in the second half while making six of his eight attempts. It’s clear that this is a role Allette will be comfortable in going forward.

Reynolds had a nice bounce back game after struggling against Arkansas as he scored nine points with two 3-pointers while also dishing out seven assists.

Youth movement

With so many new players on the roster, the Horned Frogs will have to rely on a host of younger players to play big minutes this season and all of the young freshmen showed flashes of what they can bring this season. Posey had the best game among them as he showcased his shooting ability with three 3-pointers and 11 points in the first half. Posey is one of the most athletic players on the roster and if he’s able to consistently hit 3s, it’ll be hard to keep him off the court.

Freshman big David Punch had another solid game backing up Udeh. Punch continues to look ahead of the curve defensively as he had two blocks in the first half while also finishing the game with seven points. The Horned Frogs don’t have great depth at center meaning Punch will have to grow up quickly and so far he’s been up for the challenge.

Isaiah Manning chipped in with 10 points, two 3-pointers and a number of high IQ plays in the second half when FAMU went to a zone defense. On one sequence Manning caught the ball in the high post and then threw a nice bounce pass to Punch for an easy slam. On the next possession Manning passed up an open look to find a cutting Robinson for another basket inside.

Robinson, the former blue chip recruit, picked his spots and showed off his impressive strength as a freshman with numerous drives to the basket that resulted in him finishing with seven points.

Special spectator

There was a decent crowd on hand for the Horned Frogs’ season opener, but the biggest fan in attendance happened to be future NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal was in town to watch his son Shaqir play for the Rattlers. Shaqir, a 6-foot-8 forward, started for FAMU and scored the first points of the game with a mid-range pull up right before his father walked into the gym.

That was O’Neal’s only bucket of the half and he finished with just two points. His father stuck around during halftime to take pictures with TCU fans, but left before the start of the second half with TCU in full control.