TCU Athletics
TCU's David Punch sees a lane to the basketball.
When Jim Killingsworth, the coach who put TCU basketball on the map, roamed the sidelines all those years ago he made the remark once – probably more than once — that basketball season at TCU didn’t start in earnest until the last second ticked off the clock of the final football game of the season.
It’s football country around here, after all.
No one would have been surprised if the spirit of Killer had been hanging around for this “season opener” at Schollmaier Arena on Friday night. He had unfinished business with Notre Dame when he left this realm in 2007.
The date was March 1987. The site was Charlotte, North Carolina. The setting was the NCAA Tournament’s second round.
The Horned Frogs got seriously jobbed that day.
But after Friday night, perhaps there’s some sort of cosmic something or other with Notre Dame.
TCU is now 0-6 all-time against the Fighting Irish after falling 87-85 in overtime.
The Frogs entered the game coming off two consecutive impressive victories over No. 10 Florida and Wisconsin, but a dual lapse in defending and rebounding caused a letdown on Friday that left the team clearly disappointed.
“Last weekend was a long time ago. It doesn't matter,” said coach Jamie Dixon afterward. “This is who we are today and we got outrebounded by a big number.”
Notre Dame had eight more rebounds than the Frogs. The Irish also shot the lights out, going 55% from the field.
“I’m extremely disappointed in how we guarded,” said Dixon.
Notre Dame had four players in double figures, including Jalen Haralson and Cole Certa, who each had a team-high 20 points. Haralson’s step-back 15-foot baseline jumper with 3 seconds left sent the game to overtime at 76-all. Certa, who scored all his points in the second half and overtime, went nuts at one point in the second half, scoring 12 straight on four 3-pointers.
David Punch led TCU with 20 points and seven rebounds. His game-tying jump hook attempt in the lane missed as time expired in OT.
But as it concerns Notre Dame, there seems to always be some mojo at work.
In 1987, it involved Dixon as a player.
The game was tied at 57 as Rivers brought the ball downcourt near the right sideline, after a missed short bank shot by Norman Anderson that was rebounded by Notre Dame’s Donald Royal with eight seconds to play.
As Rivers crossed midcourt, he encountered Dixon near the sideline. Rivers attempted to go around Dixon, who had his feet planted, on the right. Rivers stumbled and sprawled to the court right in front of Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps, who was more than willing to help make the call.
The ball and Rivers ended up out of bounds.
But instead of a change-of-possession call, official John Moreau called a phantom blocking foul on Dixon.
Killer was beside himself, bristling in disbelief. (That game would turn out to be his last.)
Rivers hit one of two free throws for the winning margin. We then all commiserated with The Platters’ rendition of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.”
So, perhaps what we witnessed Friday was just more Notre Dame juju. Whatever the case, TCU has no time to mope about this one with a quick turnaround. The Frogs play North Texas at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Dickies Arena. It’s part of a doubleheader involving Big 12 peer Texas Tech, which plays LSU at 2 p.m.
