Following a 20-point loss to Brigham Young in Provo, the 10-13 Horned Frogs will stay on the road to take on another Mountain West opponent, the Air Force Academy Falcons. TCU head coach Jim Christian ran an intense practice Thursday afternoon to prepare the team for the showdown with Air Force.
The main theme of the practice was finishing plays and playing hard.
“It’s hurt our team,” Christian said. “We break down on the big possessions before they do. They have to have a resolve to win in order to win.”
The Horned Frogs have dropped their past four games, all of them in conference play. The team’s recent slide has its record at 2-6 in the MWC.
Christian said his team can’t win if it doesn’t change the mentality of losing.
“You can’t win until your tired of losing,” he said. “Regardless of whether you play well or not play well, you’ve got to come to work. I can’t stir your fire everyday to be a great player.”
This is the second meeting this season between the teams. The Frogs won the first meeting 59-50 in Fort Worth. Senior forward Zvonko Buljan had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in that contest.
TCU swept Air Force last season. The first meeting last season was a nail-biter. The Frogs pulled out a 57-54 win. Buljan had a double-double in that game with an 18 point and 11 rebound performance. He also made a three-point play with less than a minute left to give the Frogs a 55-54 lead.
The second meeting last year in Fort Worth was a 62-50 TCU victory. Buljan came up big again with 20 points and eight rebounds. Senior Guard Keion Mitchem was the second leading scorer with 12 points.
The Frogs are currently tied with Wyoming for seventh place in the conference. Air Force is currently last in the conference with only one conference win and seven conference losses.
Sophomore guard Ronnie Moss is the leader in scoring and assists for the Frogs. He averages 14.3 points a game and 6.4 assists. Buljan is the second leading scorer and leading rebounder with an average of 13 points and nine rebounds per game.
TCU vs. Air Force
When: 3 p.m. Saturday
Where: USAFA, Col.
Follow the game on KESN 103.3.
