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GoFrogs: TCU Falls to Syracuse, 57-52
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery
DETROIT (AP) Seniors Vladimir Brodziansky and Kenrich Williams each scored in double-figures, but overall six-seeded TCU struggled offensively in a 57-52 loss to 11th-seeded Syracuse in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.
The Orange (22-13) won for the second time in the tournament and advanced to face third-seeded Michigan State on Sunday by holding off the Horned Frogs with another impressive defensive effort. Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field.
There was little doubt who won the much-anticipated matchup between TCU's excellent offense and Syracuse's zone defense. Despite a team-high 14 points by Williams and 13 points by Brodziansky, the Horned Frogs (21-12) were held 31 points below their season average.
Syracuse led 50-49 before mid-range shots by Tyus Battle and Frank Howard pushed the lead to five. That margin was plenty in this game.
A tight, compelling contest throughout, the game nevertheless had an odd feel, with Little Caesars Arena having mostly emptied out after the Michigan State-Bucknell game. TCU and Syracuse played in front of a handful of fans who at times seemed as interested in periodic Virginia-UMBC updates as what was going on in front of them on the court.
TCU struggled offensively throughout, but the Horned Frogs did score eight straight points to finish the first half with a 28-27 lead.
BIG PICTURE
It's March, and Syracuse again looks like a threat after barely making the NCAAs as the last team selected for the field of 68. The Orange weren't impressive at all on offense, but it didn't matter. Now it'll be Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's turn to try to solve that 2-3 zone.
TCU had one real highlight on the night - an alley-oop pass from Alex Robinson to Kenrich Williams near the end of the first half that traveled about three-quarters of the length of the court.
UP NEXT
Syracuse had to beat Arizona State in the First Four to start this tournament, so the game against Michigan State will be its third in five days.
The offseason comes earlier than TCU would like, but the program is clearly making progress under Dixon.
+++++++++++
Team Notes
* TCU made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998, when it dropped a 96-87 decision as a No. 5 seed to No. 12 Florida State in Oklahoma City.
* At 20 years, TCU ended the second-longest NCAA Tournament drought among Power 5 Conference members. Only Rutgers (1991) was longer.
* The Horned Frogs have now appeared in eight NCAA Tournaments with a 5-8 all-time record.
* The game, played at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, marked the Horned Frogs’ first contest in the state of Michigan since a 78-76 overtime win at Western Michigan in the 2005 NIT.
* Of TCU’s 12 losses this season, 10 were by six points or fewer.
* Dixon now has a 12-12 record as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament and 22-14 in the postseason. He has taken a team to the NCAA Tournament in 12 of his 15 seasons as a head coach. His first 11 appearances came with Pittsburgh.
* Dixon dropped to 15-7 all-time versus Syracuse.
* The Horned Frogs’ 52 points represented a season low. The previous mark was 64 in losses at Kansas and in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship to Kansas State.
* TCU used an 8-0 run over the final 3:03 of the first half to take a 28-27 lead at the break. The Horned Frogs lost for just the fourth time in 24 games this season when holding a halftime lead.
* TCU had three 3-pointers and concluded the season with 274 made as a team, the third-best total in program history. The 280 last season was second, while the top mark is 284 by the 2004-05 squad.
* TCU’s five blocked shots and three 3-pointers set school records for an NCAA Tournament game.
* The Horned Frogs’ 26 defensive rebounds place second in their NCAA Tournament history, behind only the 36 against Kansas State in 1968.
* TCU dropped to 8-3 in neutral-site games in its two seasons under Dixon.
Individual Notes
* Kenrich Williams had a team-best 14 points to give him 1,125 in his career and move him past Gary Landers (1,114, 1973-76) into 21st on TCU’s all-time scoring list. Mickey McCarty was 20th with 1,137 (1966-68).
* Williams scored in double figures for the fifth straight game and 25th time this season. TCU was 38-25 when he’s reached double figures in his career.
* Williams’ eight boards gave him 877 in his career, leaving him fourth on TCU’s all-time list. Gary Turner was in third place with 887 (1964-66).
* Williams is one of just two players nationally, and the only one from a Power 5 Conference, to have at least 275 rebounds, 100 assists and 50 steals this season.
* Williams’ average of 9.3 rebounds per game on the season allowed him to become just the second player in TCU history (Gary Turner, 1963-66) to lead the team in three different seasons.
* Vladimir Brodziansky had 13 points to reach double figures for a team-best 29th time this season.
* Brodziansky closed his career with 1,364 points, leaving him 62 shy of tying Gary Turner (1,426, 1964-66) for 10th place in TCU history.
* Brodziansky blocked two shots to give him 170 in his career, one shy of tying TCU’s all-time record of 171 by James Penny (1995-98). Brodziansky is tied with Derrick Davenport (2000-01) for second.
* Brodziansky’s two blocked shots tied Carven Holcombe (vs. Marshall, 1987) for the most in an NCAA Tournament game by a Horned Frog.
* Alex Robinson had eight assists to give him 418 in his career, moving him past Tony Edmond (414, 1988-90) into sixth on TCU’s career list. Darrell Browder is fifth with 459 (1980-83).
* Robinson had 190 assists this year to move ahead of Ronnie Moss (189, 2009-10) into sixth place on TCU’s season list. Prince Fowler is fifth with 200 (1997-98).
* Robinson is one of three players (Edmond, Fowler) in TCU history to appear twice in the program’s top 10 season list for assists. He was No. 2 last year with 228.
* Robinson’s eight assists were second-most by a Horned Frog in an NCAA Tournament game, trailing only the 11 by Jim Ferguson versus Notre Dame in 1971.
* Robinson’s two steals were the most by a Horned Frog in an NCAA Tournament game since Mike Jones recorded five against Florida State in 1998.
* Desmond Bane had a 3-pointer and made at least one trey in all but three games this season.
* Bane tops the Big 12 in three-point shooting at 46.1 percent (59-of-128) and is on pace to become the first Horned Frog to lead his conference from 3-point range since Ryan Carroll shot a WAC-best 43.0 percent in 1998-99.
* Kouat Noi’s two 3-pointers were the most by a Horned Frog in an NCAA Tournament game.
GoFrogs: TCU Falls to Syracuse, 57-52
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery
DETROIT (AP) Seniors Vladimir Brodziansky and Kenrich Williams each scored in double-figures, but overall six-seeded TCU struggled offensively in a 57-52 loss to 11th-seeded Syracuse in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.
The Orange (22-13) won for the second time in the tournament and advanced to face third-seeded Michigan State on Sunday by holding off the Horned Frogs with another impressive defensive effort. Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field.
There was little doubt who won the much-anticipated matchup between TCU's excellent offense and Syracuse's zone defense. Despite a team-high 14 points by Williams and 13 points by Brodziansky, the Horned Frogs (21-12) were held 31 points below their season average.
Syracuse led 50-49 before mid-range shots by Tyus Battle and Frank Howard pushed the lead to five. That margin was plenty in this game.
A tight, compelling contest throughout, the game nevertheless had an odd feel, with Little Caesars Arena having mostly emptied out after the Michigan State-Bucknell game. TCU and Syracuse played in front of a handful of fans who at times seemed as interested in periodic Virginia-UMBC updates as what was going on in front of them on the court.
TCU struggled offensively throughout, but the Horned Frogs did score eight straight points to finish the first half with a 28-27 lead.
BIG PICTURE
It's March, and Syracuse again looks like a threat after barely making the NCAAs as the last team selected for the field of 68. The Orange weren't impressive at all on offense, but it didn't matter. Now it'll be Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's turn to try to solve that 2-3 zone.
TCU had one real highlight on the night - an alley-oop pass from Alex Robinson to Kenrich Williams near the end of the first half that traveled about three-quarters of the length of the court.
UP NEXT
Syracuse had to beat Arizona State in the First Four to start this tournament, so the game against Michigan State will be its third in five days.
The offseason comes earlier than TCU would like, but the program is clearly making progress under Dixon.
+++++++++++
Team Notes
* TCU made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998, when it dropped a 96-87 decision as a No. 5 seed to No. 12 Florida State in Oklahoma City.
* At 20 years, TCU ended the second-longest NCAA Tournament drought among Power 5 Conference members. Only Rutgers (1991) was longer.
* The Horned Frogs have now appeared in eight NCAA Tournaments with a 5-8 all-time record.
* The game, played at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, marked the Horned Frogs’ first contest in the state of Michigan since a 78-76 overtime win at Western Michigan in the 2005 NIT.
* Of TCU’s 12 losses this season, 10 were by six points or fewer.
* Dixon now has a 12-12 record as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament and 22-14 in the postseason. He has taken a team to the NCAA Tournament in 12 of his 15 seasons as a head coach. His first 11 appearances came with Pittsburgh.
* Dixon dropped to 15-7 all-time versus Syracuse.
* The Horned Frogs’ 52 points represented a season low. The previous mark was 64 in losses at Kansas and in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship to Kansas State.
* TCU used an 8-0 run over the final 3:03 of the first half to take a 28-27 lead at the break. The Horned Frogs lost for just the fourth time in 24 games this season when holding a halftime lead.
* TCU had three 3-pointers and concluded the season with 274 made as a team, the third-best total in program history. The 280 last season was second, while the top mark is 284 by the 2004-05 squad.
* TCU’s five blocked shots and three 3-pointers set school records for an NCAA Tournament game.
* The Horned Frogs’ 26 defensive rebounds place second in their NCAA Tournament history, behind only the 36 against Kansas State in 1968.
* TCU dropped to 8-3 in neutral-site games in its two seasons under Dixon.
Individual Notes
* Kenrich Williams had a team-best 14 points to give him 1,125 in his career and move him past Gary Landers (1,114, 1973-76) into 21st on TCU’s all-time scoring list. Mickey McCarty was 20th with 1,137 (1966-68).
* Williams scored in double figures for the fifth straight game and 25th time this season. TCU was 38-25 when he’s reached double figures in his career.
* Williams’ eight boards gave him 877 in his career, leaving him fourth on TCU’s all-time list. Gary Turner was in third place with 887 (1964-66).
* Williams is one of just two players nationally, and the only one from a Power 5 Conference, to have at least 275 rebounds, 100 assists and 50 steals this season.
* Williams’ average of 9.3 rebounds per game on the season allowed him to become just the second player in TCU history (Gary Turner, 1963-66) to lead the team in three different seasons.
* Vladimir Brodziansky had 13 points to reach double figures for a team-best 29th time this season.
* Brodziansky closed his career with 1,364 points, leaving him 62 shy of tying Gary Turner (1,426, 1964-66) for 10th place in TCU history.
* Brodziansky blocked two shots to give him 170 in his career, one shy of tying TCU’s all-time record of 171 by James Penny (1995-98). Brodziansky is tied with Derrick Davenport (2000-01) for second.
* Brodziansky’s two blocked shots tied Carven Holcombe (vs. Marshall, 1987) for the most in an NCAA Tournament game by a Horned Frog.
* Alex Robinson had eight assists to give him 418 in his career, moving him past Tony Edmond (414, 1988-90) into sixth on TCU’s career list. Darrell Browder is fifth with 459 (1980-83).
* Robinson had 190 assists this year to move ahead of Ronnie Moss (189, 2009-10) into sixth place on TCU’s season list. Prince Fowler is fifth with 200 (1997-98).
* Robinson is one of three players (Edmond, Fowler) in TCU history to appear twice in the program’s top 10 season list for assists. He was No. 2 last year with 228.
* Robinson’s eight assists were second-most by a Horned Frog in an NCAA Tournament game, trailing only the 11 by Jim Ferguson versus Notre Dame in 1971.
* Robinson’s two steals were the most by a Horned Frog in an NCAA Tournament game since Mike Jones recorded five against Florida State in 1998.
* Desmond Bane had a 3-pointer and made at least one trey in all but three games this season.
* Bane tops the Big 12 in three-point shooting at 46.1 percent (59-of-128) and is on pace to become the first Horned Frog to lead his conference from 3-point range since Ryan Carroll shot a WAC-best 43.0 percent in 1998-99.
* Kouat Noi’s two 3-pointers were the most by a Horned Frog in an NCAA Tournament game.
