Kansas benefits from controversial flagrant foul, edges TCU

TCU almost pulled off another upset in Lawrence, but the Horned Frogs fell 83-81 to No. 2 Kansas in part due to a controversial call.

It was a tightly contested game that felt more like a NCAA Tournament game than a typical conference opener. After both teams made a pair of free throws, the game was tied at 77-77 with just over two minutes to play. Jameer Nelson put TCU back in front as he hit a smooth step-back jumper over a defender that slipped.

The Horned Frogs got a stop on the next possession, but KU’s K.J. Adams was able to force a jump ball with 1:05 remaining that gave Kansas the ball back. Kansas transfer Ernest Udeh came up with a massive defensive play for TCU as he intercepted a pass intended for Hunter Dickinson.

However, Udeh was called for a flagrant foul after his elbow hit Dickinson. Dickinson hit both free throws to tie it 79-79, and then Dajuan Harris Jr. hit an off-balanced floater that gave Kansas a 81-79 lead with 43 seconds remaining. However Micah Peavy immediately tied it right back as he soared over multiple Jayhawks for a putback.

The Jayhawks, though, went right back to Dickinson on the next trip down and he finished over a double-team to make it 83-81 with 3.4 seconds remaining. Numerous replay angles showed a potential push-off and travel by Dickinson that went uncalled.

Nelson had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but his last-second shot fell well short of the basket.

TCU coach Jamie Dixon declined to spend much time on the call after the game and wanted to focus on what his team showed.

“I’m proud of our players. I loved our execution, I loved our intensity, I loved our ball pressure,” Dixon said. “I’m proud of how they handled the situation, how they handled the last minute. Proud of everything they did. But we didn’t get the win and I’m disappointed by that.”

Tennyson’s moment

One reason Trevian Tennyson came to TCU was to play in environments such as Allen Fieldhouse. The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi transfer thrived on the biggest stage with his best game of the season.

Tennyson, who was inserted into the starting lineup in place of Jameer Nelson Jr., went on a heater in the second half.

After scoring just five points in the first half, the senior guard exploded for 19 in the second half. His first 3-pointer of the second half put TCU ahead 47-45, then his second made it 52-50 during a back-and-forth stretch where both teams showed high-level shot-making.

One of the plays of the game was when Tennyson intercepted a pass and then walked into a pull-up 3-pointer to put TCU back in front 55-53 with 13:28 remaining. Tennyson added another 3, plus a circus mid-range pull-up, that gave TCU a 62-60 lead.

“He hit a lot of big shots for us, you could see the whole reaction of the bench,” TCU’s Emanuel Miller said. “We were just happy for him. He puts in the work.”

In the first 11 minutes of the second half, Tennyson scored 16 points and finished with a team-high 24 points.

“I was just there being ready for (my team),” Tennyson said. “They needed me today, and it made me work harder.”

Dickinson’s dominance

Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson was a problem for TCU’s frontcourt from the opening tip. The 7-footer scored the Jayhawks’ first basket of the game and continued to be aggressive in the opening 20 minutes. He showed why he was the most coveted transfer this off-season with his impressive shot-making ability.

He knocked down two 3s, with the second giving Kansas a 35-30 lead late in the half. He was a force on the offensive glass as well, snatching rebounds out of the hands of TCU’s big men and even throwing down a putback slam to increase the Jayhawks’ lead to 37-32. Dickinson had 18 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes of action in the first half.

Dickinson continued to dominate inside with two straight baskets that helped Kansas retake a 70-67 lead. Dickinson was un-guardable, no matter what type of tactics TCU tried and finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds.

Clashing styles

One of the things that made this game so close and exciting was the contrast in the way each team approached trying to take control of the game. For TCU, it was with their ball pressure and the Horned Frogs forced the Jayhawks into 18 turnovers. The same number Kansas had in its lone loss against Marquette.

TCU turned those giveaways into 22 points off turnovers and 14 fastbreak points. Nelson, Tennyson and Avery Anderson combined for 12 of TCU’s steals as the trio took advantage of the fact Kansas has just one consistent ball-handler in Dajuan Harris.

“It’s something we do, something we take great pride in,” Dixon said. “It gets our transition game going, I thought we were terrific in transition. We’ve got good athletes.”

However, Kansas countered by dominating the offensive glass. Kansas out-rebounded TCU 40-28, including 16 offensive boards. It led to 15 points, which the Horned Frogs were able to match, but the biggest thing was how those opportunities kept TCU from being able to get on the break.

Such as when Adams forced the jump ball after a Kansas miss. Had TCU been able to secure the rebound in that moment, then the controversial call probably doesn’t happen. That’s what Dixon focused on postgame.

“We got out-rebounded. They were the more physical team,” Dixon said. “They knocked us all over the place, the entire game and we’ve got to know that’s coming with our rebound numbers. That’s on us.”

Miller’s stand

On the court with two potential All-Americans in Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr., TCU forward Emanuel Miller showed he belonged with a strong performance. Last year Miller was held to just five points in the upset at KU, but he knew that wouldn’t be enough this time especially with TCU being without second-leading scorer JaKobe Coles.

While Miller knocked down an early 3-pointer, he did most of his scoring inside the arc and put pressure on the Kansas defense by getting to the rim. Like at the end of the first half when Miller used a nice back cut on the baseline to create space for a floater that gave TCU a 40-39 lead.

Miller scored 15 in the first half, knocking down six of his nine attempts. He finished with 20 points for the game.