Big 12 Basketball: Each team’s worst performance of the last decade

TCU

November 12, 2013 (Longwood 82, at TCU 79) (GS: 3)

Prior to the arrival of proud alum Jamie Dixon as the new head coach in 2016, things had been pretty rough for the Horned Frogs. This team was barely afloat in the Mountain West before moving to the Big 12 in 2012 (a football move clearly), with Trent Johnson just 8-64 in Big 12 conference play during his four years. This team is headed in a much better direction, but we need to take a few moments to analyze some of the bad.

There was the poor 65-45 at a mediocre Utah team in 2010, which came just weeks following a blowout loss at Houston and a 64-53 home loss to Northern Colorado. In November of that year, a 67-48 loss to Massachusetts was even worse, as this was not a very good UMass team. Possibly TCU’s worst offensive season of 2012-13 was full of disappointing games, with none likely worse than a 55-31 loss to a disappointing Northwestern squad. And yet, we’ve saved the worst for last.

They were without freshman Hudson Price, but TCU still lost 82-79 to a Longwood team that had never previously beaten a Big 12 team.  They lost by 3 points to a team that only won 3 more games that season against D-1 opponents. Longwood lost 126-52 to Louisiana Tech and yet managed to knock off TCU. Longwood built a 40-27 halftime lead and staved off a furious TCU rally, though the Horned Frogs had dug themselves too big of a hole. T. J. Carey was electric, leading Longwood with 31 points (7-12 from 3), leaving TCU completely embarrassed.

TCU has had some ups and a whole lot of downs, but they look like a solid team in the future. Either way, the hiring of Jamie Dixon was an incredible hire and he is propelling TCU out of punching bag status in the stacked Big 12. Tomorrow could bring another horrible game against a Longwood, or their first NCAA Tournament win since 1987, when Jamie Dixon himself was on the team.