TCU head coach Jamie Dixon addressed the media on Tuesday discussing takeaways from the loss to Kansas and a preview for No. 9 Oklahoma.
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00:00 >> Yeah, really good, obviously, they addressed the rebounding.
00:03 Certainly we're a team that's plus ten on the glass, and
00:05 then they go in and dominate the glass up there.
00:09 So we really emphasize that.
00:11 I know there was all this discussion about the game, and our focus was the rebounding.
00:15 And that was the way I best felt we could handle it.
00:18 Those are the things we can control.
00:20 And we simply didn't get it done.
00:22 And the 12 plus, the 16 offensive rebounds,
00:27 there's one thing with 16 offensive rebounds, it's the putbacks too.
00:33 On five of them, they're direct putbacks, which was not normal.
00:37 And then they scored as well.
00:37 So that was really the difference.
00:41 And so we obviously addressed it.
00:43 You don't see that coming when you're a plus ten on the year, and
00:45 that's your strength.
00:47 And not their strength, but they came in and got it done.
00:50 So we addressed that, and I had a good practice yesterday, we go today.
00:56 And Kobe practiced a little bit yesterday,
00:59 I don't know what his status will be today.
01:00 Chuck was out there, so I feel pretty good about Chuck.
01:07 And we're looking forward to Oklahoma.
01:10 Obviously, they're coming up with a great win against Iowa State at home.
01:14 Close game, back and forth, and
01:16 then they kinda made the plays down the stretch and watching that.
01:18 So watched a lot of Oklahoma film.
01:22 Held on to some guys from the previous year and
01:25 then added some impactful transfers, welcome to the college basketball.
01:33 And they went and got them, and they did a good job in putting them all together.
01:37 So we know what this conference is, and it's the numbers are,
01:43 as I joke about it, and every year they write about these new great conferences.
01:49 And then at the end of the year, come January, our numbers are dominant.
01:56 So we gotta go, we gotta be great at the road,
02:00 we gotta have a great home court.
02:04 I know we're sold out, but
02:05 we have to create the atmosphere that these other teams do all the time.
02:09 >> And I know you talked a lot about impact transfers for Oklahoma, but
02:12 you've got some on your roster as well.
02:14 Trey Tennyson put it all together, it seemed, on Saturday.
02:16 >> Yeah.
02:17 >> What'd you see from him?
02:18 >> Well, we love him.
02:19 I mean, obviously he's starting, so we knew he could shoot the basketball.
02:24 I think he's improved in so many areas since he's got here,
02:27 defensively first and foremost.
02:28 He can still get better, but he's a great kid.
02:31 He's in the gym all the time, he cares.
02:33 And our guys believe in him, and when he shoots it, they think it's going in.
02:38 So that's a good attribute to have.
02:41 So he's worked, and he's earned it.
02:44 And he was not a good defender when he got here, and now he is a good defender.
02:48 And I think that's, to me, is the best story of all.
02:52 >> That was a big moment for Ernest.
02:53 I guess what was your message to him specifically over the last few days?
02:56 Did you have to pick him up in the family?
02:57 >> Yeah, well, we kept pumping him up, hitting the two free throws down the stretch,
03:01 which were huge, he gave us the three point lead.
03:04 And I don't think anybody is falling, he's running, going the other way.
03:08 The kid, his guy is running the other, going, everybody's changing.
03:11 And the guy, as much as his elbow, as you run, generally most people do do that.
03:16 And I don't know anybody that doesn't run that way, and
03:19 that kid's going that way too.
03:20 So it's gonna happen.
03:22 It's a judgment call, and they judged to the other team's favor.
03:29 And certainly no one in the world thinks that it was intentional.
03:37 So I didn't really give it a lot of thought, to be honest with you, Steve.
03:40 And I just, I was, other things really wanted to address.
03:46 Just the rebounding, his part in that, but also at the same time saying,
03:51 here's a guy that had a tough day at the free throw line the game before, and
03:55 then comes up and hits two huge free throws.
03:58 One, they give us a three point lead with, I don't know, five, six minutes left.
04:04 I mean, what a clutch, and all net too, we were joking, all net.
04:08 So that's really what it was.
04:10 I don't think anybody is telling him not to run.
04:14 I mean, all I do is tell him to run after he gets a ball.
04:18 So I can't tell him not to run anymore.
04:21 >> Are there any other positive takeaways from that Kansas game that you
04:23 hope to see moving forward?
04:24 >> Yeah, I think I expressed that after the game, but watching the film and
04:28 seeing more, just I think our half court offense, our numbers were tremendous.
04:35 Like you go what we did, we should win the game in the half court.
04:39 What we weren't as good in, and still we were elite in other people's minds or
04:46 comparisons, was we weren't as efficient in transition.
04:50 I know everybody said, well, you got 14, and that's a lot there.
04:54 But we didn't finish in a couple of situations.
04:58 We didn't make free throws on a couple of them.
05:00 Could have had some in ones when we didn't, and so that's what we talked about.
05:05 But the half court offense and the execution was, there was a reason why our
05:10 numbers were better.
05:11 We just, we were more patient, and it was something we addressed all week long
05:14 after the Texas A&M Commerce game, cuz our recognition of advantage,
05:22 disadvantage was not very good.
05:25 And when I mean that, five on three is an advantage, four and
05:29 five is not an advantage.
05:30 And that's where I think we've struggled this year to a degree.
05:34 >> What stands out about Oklahoma when you look at them on film?
05:40 >> I think their balance, I think depth, balance.
05:43 I think they've got two very
05:48 productive big guys that they rotate in at the five, kinda like our situation.
05:56 Like their numbers don't blow you away individually, but
06:00 the combination of the two.
06:01 It was on, we knew it was a good freshman that we expected him to grow.