Men’s basketball team optimistic despite early conference woes
By Ram Luthra
Sports Editor

The men’s basketball team is frustrated after seeing itself open Conference USA play with three straight losses, but head coach Billy Tubbs said that is part of the learning process for this team.

The Frogs will continue that learning process Tuesday night as TCU (10-7, 0-3 C-USA) faces Houston (7-7, 1-2 C-USA) at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Simon Lopez/ SKIFF STAFF Junior-transfer Junior Blount shoots over a Memphis defender as senior Marlon Dumont fights for position for the rebound. The Frogs have been outrebounded 149-117 in their past three games.

“At 0-3 in conference play, we as a team are frustrated and are down on ourselves,” Tubbs said. “But this team is not down and out yet. We will take each game one at a time.

“We need to keep our composure and be patient starting with the Houston game,” Tubbs said.

Junior forward Bingo Merriex said it is going to be tough to overcome the slow start.

“We basically have dug ourselves in a hole,” Merriex said. “Now we are beginning to climb uphill to get ourselves out of that hole. But just wait and see.”

The Frogs defense has been one of concerns and causes for the losses, Tubbs said.

TCU has given up more than 90 points in the past three games. TCU surrendered 117 points against South Florida, 98 points versus Memphis, and 93 points against Louisville.

“Our defense is not where we need it to be,” Tubbs said. “But we are making strides and getting better to play the style of defense that we are capable of.”

With the slow start in conference play, junior-transfer Junior Blount said he feels that will be an advantage for the team.

“Seeing ourselves winless in conference play gives us motivation to get better and get that egg out of the standings,” Blount said. “Lately in practice our intensity level is higher than normal. We are seeing ourselves hustling more for rebounds and diving on the floor for loose balls.”

That hustle was absent in the Frogs losses to top-10 ranked Memphis and Louisville.

“At times we looked around instead of going for the basketball,” Tubbs said. “Even with that we still had a good chance to win each game.”

The Cougars have played some top-notch schools in the nation with the likes of UCLA, Kansas and North Carolina State. Houston is averaging 71.9 points a game, compared to the 90.9 points TCU scores per game. But Houston is giving up more than 100 points against C-USA teams.

“If we get them to play a run and gun style of basketball we will be all right,” Blount said.

“Cincinnati got them to play that style and Houston could not get much done. So we hope we can do the same thing.”

Tubbs said the unfamiliarity of C-USA opponents has been another cause for the slow conference start.

“We can watch all the film in the world against these teams,” Tubbs said. “Until we play them, we really won’t have a good idea of what we are matched up against. Because of our lack knowledge of the opponents we are learning as we go. If this was the (Western Athletic Conference), we would be one of the top three schools.”

Tubbs feels the team needs to play its best basketball for the remainder of the conference schedule to be contenders.

“Being overachievers is the key,” Tubbs said. “We’re in trouble if we play to our maximum. We must play every game over our maximum ability."

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