The TCU Horned Frogs are now 1-2 in Big 12 play after suffering an 86-73 loss at home to the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats. It’s easy to see why Arizona is ranked first and considered one of the early championship favorites.
The Wildcats controlled the game from the get-go, scoring the first points of the contest before building a double-digit lead, 19-8, within the first eight minutes. Arizona’s advantage ballooned to 17 points with 10:27 remaining in the half as TCU struggled to find any offensive rhythm.
It felt almost impossible for the Frogs to get off a good look with the Wildcats bearing down defensively. With quality shot attempts few and far between, much of the first half followed the same script for the Horned Frogs. TCU managed just 27 points in the opening 20 minutes, shooting 9-of-28 from the field and 3-of-10 from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Wildcats scored 43, going 17-of-36 from the floor and 3-of-8 from downtown.
The second half, however, featured a seemingly different Horned Frogs team. TCU opened the final frame on a quick 7-0 run, forcing Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd to call a timeout to regroup. It proved to be a good decision, as the Wildcats responded with a 10-0 run of their own, stretching the lead to 19 with just under 16 minutes remaining.
Still, the Horned Frogs didn’t back down. With reserve Tanner Toolson leading the charge, TCU continued to hang with the top-ranked Wildcats. While the score never truly tightened, Arizona struggled to fully put the Frogs away.
A Jace Posey layup cut the deficit to 12 at the 11:43 mark, a margin TCU maintained for much of the next five minutes. A Brock Harding lay-in followed by a Toolson three trimmed Arizona’s lead to just seven with 6:56 to play.
Momentum swung back moments later, though, as Anthony Dell’Orso buried a tough fadeaway three to push the Wildcats back up by 10. Buckets from projected lottery pick Koa Peat and Dell’Orso again extended the advantage to 14.
TCU continued to fight, but Arizona never relented, holding a comfortable lead down the stretch. The Wildcats ultimately wound down the clock to secure an 86-73 victory and improve to a perfect 16-0 on the season.
The Frogs struggled against the Wildcats’ physical defense, shooting 25-of-59 from the floor. TCU also left points at the line, connecting on just 17-of-24 free throw attempts. Arizona shot 50.7 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three-point range, with 42 of its 86 points coming in the paint.
Toolson led the Frogs with 20 points off the bench, shooting an efficient 6-of-8 from the field and knocking down all five of his free throw attempts. Harding added 11 points, five rebounds, and six assists, but went just 1-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Peat led the way for the Wildcats with 20 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Jaden Bradley chipped in 17 points and helped steady Arizona in the second half. Dell’Orso also finished with 17, including three three-pointers off the bench.
Up next, TCU faces another brutal test, traveling to Provo to take on the No. 9 BYU Cougars and potential top-draft pick AJ Dybantsa at 10:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, January 14.
