Oklahoma men's basketball falls to No. 11 TCU by largest deficit since 2019

The Sooners have prided themselves in fighting back this season.

OU defeated Texas Tech after beginning Big 12 play with a pair of home losses to 10th-ranked Texas and 12th-ranked Iowa State. It also beat West Virginia following a close loss to 9th-ranked Kansas.

But OU head coach Porter Moser didn’t see that fighting spirit in his team during a 79-52 loss to 11th-ranked TCU Tuesday.

After watching the Horned Frogs jump out to an 11-0 lead, the Sooners continued to take one haymaker after another without retaliating with some shots of their own.

The result was a 27-point blowout. It's the most points OU (11-9, 2-6 Big 12) has lost by since its 77-47 loss to Baylor on Jan. 28, 2019.

And unlike his team, Moser pulled no punches in his postgame press conference.

“Every game, we have bounced back and showed resilience and toughness,” Moser said. “Tonight, we didn’t. Tonight was a total beatdown.”

TCU’s 11-0 run to start the game was made possible by OU’s mistakes.

Five of those points came off two turnovers by the Sooners. The other six came off free throws, as Horned Frogs guard Mike Miles got fouled on two 3-point attempts and went perfect from the line.

OU never recovered in what proved to be a wire-to-wire loss.

“This is the first time all year that we did not bounce back,” Moser said. “But you’ve got to give credit to TCU. They came out from the jump. They were the aggressor. They were the one that was going downhill. It was a beatdown.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

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TCU uses transition offense to run away with the game

OU trailed 25-13 midway through the first half when Milos Uzan got into the lane.

The freshman guard tried to spin off TCU’s Xavier Cork and sink a floater, but Cork stayed with him and deflected the shot.

Then the Horned Frogs ran.

Cork gave the ball to Damion Baugh, who raced down the floor. Baugh fed Chuck O’Bannon, and the redshirt senior finished around Sam Godwin with an acrobatic reverse layup.

The Horned Frogs pushed the pace all evening.

Fueled by 15 OU turnovers, TCU racked up 25 fastbreak points to run away with Tuesday’s contest.

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C.J. Noland, Bijan Cortes continues to show growth

All C.J. Noland needed was a sliver of space.

After completing an and-one layup on OU’s previous possession, Noland gathered a pass on the right wing with 7:11 left in the first half. The sophomore guard was being defended by TCU’s JaKobe Coles, who began to back up in anticipation of another drive.

Instead, Noland took one dribble and banked in a 3-pointer.

In a game where OU got blown out, Noland was a rare bright spot. He recorded 11 points and 4 rebounds in 21 minutes.

Fellow sophomore guard Bijan Cortes also delivered an encouraging performance off the bench. He racked up 5 points, 6 assists and 2 steals.

Noland and Cortes continue to make strides in Big 12 play, and they’ve seen an increase in their roles as a result. Noland has become a 3-and-D guard for the Sooners, while Cortes has become a trusted facilitator.

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The Big 12 is stacked, but there are still levels

OU got outplayed in just about every statistical category Tuesday.

TCU shot 42.6% from the floor, while OU shot 31.3%. The Horned Frogs shot 35.3% from deep compared to the Sooners’ 26.3% shooting.

The Horned Frogs also won the battle on the boards, 46-38. They got more blocks, 7-6. They got more steals, 8-3. They turned the ball over fewer times, 15-8.

OU is now 2-6 in conference play. Its only two wins are against Texas Tech and West Virginia, which have a combined conference record of 1-13.

The Sooners have lost close games to teams such as Texas, Iowa State, Kansas and Baylor. But Tuesday’s blowout loss is the first time OU has looked a ways away from being competitive in the Big 12.

OU will temporarily get away from its grueling conference schedule Saturday, but it'll still be tested. The team is set to host second-ranked Alabama at 1 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU men's basketball: Sooners suffer 27-point loss to No. 11 TCU