10 Thoughts: TCU

Photo Attribution: USATSI

BOX SCORE

The Cowboys took care of business early tonight in Ft. Worth by burying lowly TCU late in the first half and not letting them come up for air throughout the second. Le’Bryan was career-high fantastic, Marcus Smart did Marcus Smart things, and everything is setting up nicely for next week. 10 thoughts on tonight’s game…

1. Le’Bryan, wow. Outside of one or two shots, he honestly tried to get inside the lane every chance he had. It’s amazing[1. No, really, it’s not that amazing.] what that will do for a guy who’s built like him. OSU’s going to sniff the Final Four if he turns 12-16 from the field into any kind of regularity (yes, I know it’s TCU). Also, the announcers pointed this out, but how does he only have three blocked shots on the season?!

2. Tell me Markel hasn’t been watching tape on Kobe’s fadeaway. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Send me an email. Tweet me, whatever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4cjAxnlmlc

3. The last 1:20 of the first half was just a clinic in putting away a bad team on the road. It’s not like OSU was struggling per se, but if you go to the locker room only up four or five (it was 31-24 with 1:21 left) then maybe it creeps into your head a little bit. Then Smart hit a three, BWill got an and one and a dunk and you’re not coming back on OSU when they’re up 38-24 at halftime of a conference game.

4. Has Jurick added to his tattoo collection this year? These are the things you wonder during TCU basketball games I suppose.

5. Matt Doherty said Marcus Smart was in Magic Johnson’s league “in terms of emotional leadership.” I think the blowout was getting to him.

6. TCU went 28% of the game without scoring a point — from the end of the first half to about six minutes through the second. 28%!

7. Not sure if you guys caught it but early in the first half Travis Ford started running at somebody on TCU who had an open three. He screamed “shooter” and stuck his hand out. I thought for a split-second we were going to have a Woody Ford on our hands.

8. Forte’s splits after tonight..

Home – 42%
Neutral – 50%
Road – 16%
Conference – 29%

I love Forte, love him. I think ultimately he will be better than Keiton ever thought about being. But he’s not getting it done right now. He’s a terrific player but he gets a lot of playing time because he’s a fantastic shooter and that singular skill isn’t translating at all. I’ll be interested to see how Ford uses him down the stretch. I think we’re beginning to see Brian Williams as the new sixth man of this team.

9. The disparity in Smart’s stats between the top Big 12 teams and the bottom Big 12 teams is pretty incredible. He’s paced his exertion this year so well — never expending too much against the TCUs and Texas Techs of the world and emptying the tank against KU and OU. 5th year senior maturity stuff. Also, not to put a damper on things, but it’s kind of telling that Nash’s career high was in a throwaway game against TCU and Smart’s was in a monster Bedlam matchup, no?

10. I’ve gone from “I don’t trust this team much at all even though I like them a lot” a month ago to “would trust them with my life on the line against an inferior team on the road.” The transformation has been really amazing.

Texas in GIA on Saturday.