San Diego, Calif – The TCU Horned Frogs picked up a decisive victory over the Seton Hall Pirates 69-42.
Both teams took a while to figure each other out, and the offense was not a major factor in this game, as the score was 30-21 at the half. For the Pirates, the bigs weren’t finishing around the rim, and the team shot 28.8 percent from the field.
In the second half, TCU knocked down a three-point shot, which sparked the run that the Horned Frogs would go on.The stifling defense that got TCU to the tournament shined against Seton Hall, and they would increase their lead into the 20-point margin.
Jared Rhoden was in major foul trouble for Seton Hall with four with over 15 minutes left in the second half. He would later foul out, and the Pirates were down their leader in the season’s most crucial game.
The Hall’s big man Ike Obiagu also picked up his fourth foul with over 10 minutes left. This led to him playing less aggressively, and the defense on Seton Hall’s end worsened.
Mike Miles was able to get inside after that, and led the team in scoring with 21 points for this Horned Frog team that ran away with the second half.
The Horned Frogs also shut down Seton Hall from the perimeter, with the Pirates only shooting 28.6 percent from the field in a tough first-round loss.
TCU knocks out Seton Hall in a blowout victory
The BIG 12 now advances to 6-0 in the NCAA Tournament with this win.
THE PIRATE OFFENSE WAS SHUT DOWN
Seton Hall had troubles with their shot selection and struggled to figure out how to break TCU’s tough defense.
The Pirates also finished this game with the lowest number of points scored in an NCAA Tournament game in school history.
Myles Cale shot four for 15 from the field while Jamir Harris went three for 11. These players taking that many shots were not the usual situation for the Pirates, but the foul out of Rhoden forced them to play in that role. Cale also picked up three fouls of his own, and had to be aggressive on the defensive end.
TCU played a masterclass defensive showing, and the Pirates couldn’t break their dry spell in 40 minutes of basketball.
TCU HAD A DOMINANT PERFORMANCE ON BOTH ENDS
While a 69-point performance is nothing out of the ordinary, TCU did it with efficiency in every aspect of the game.
They shot 50.9 percent from the field and made 40 percent of their threes as they took advantage of Seton Hall’s foul situation.
The Horned Frogs also had a day on the rebounding end, with 40 rebounds to Seton Hall’s 26.
TCU’s game plan allowed them to force Seton Hall to take tough shots, and the Horned Frogs were able to take advantage of that with their efficient shooting.
