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Trae Young's Brilliance Propels Oklahoma to Narrow Win vs. TCU
December 30, 2017
The No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners handed the No. 10 TCU Horned Frogs their first loss of the season Saturday, winning 90-89 at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, due to another spectacular showing by freshman guard Trae Young.
Young helped the Sooners improve to 11-1 with 39 points, 14 assists, four rebounds and two steals. He also had seven turnovers.
TCU fell to 12-1, despite a great game from senior guard Kenrich Williams, who finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Williams missed the Horned Frogs' last game against William & Mary, but he bounced back from a knee injury to play Saturday.
His stat sheet-stuffing performance wasn't enough for the Horned Frogs, though, as Young's dominance and a 22-point effort from Kameron McGusty allowed Oklahoma to prevail despite trailing for much of the game.
Here's a lengthy highlight reel featuring many of Young's remarkable plays:
Per ESPN Stats & Info, Oklahoma entered rarefied air with its second true road win over an AP Top 10 team this season before January:
Young was as good as advertised, and big-time makes from beyond the arc littered his shot chart:
According to Micah Adams of ESPN Stats & Info, Young is on a ridiculous tear in terms of points accounted for:
While most of the focus was understandably on Young entering the game, TCU carried the first-half action.
The Horned Frogs played solid defense in holding Oklahoma to 41 opening-frame points, and they often turned that defense into offense, as seen in this video from TCU Basketball:
Young finished the first half with 19 points and seven assists, but he didn't receive much help.
Also, Williams stayed with Young for much of the opening half, and SI.com's Jeremy Woo was quick to point out his importance:
TCU held a five-point advantage at halftime, and it continued to build upon it throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half.
With 10:49 remaining in regulation, the Horned Frogs were up by 13 points, and Oklahoma showed few signs of mounting a comeback. The tide began to turn minutes later, however, as Young and McGusty took over and provided virtually all of the Sooners' offense.
With 2:26 left, a McGusty trifecta tied the game at 83-83. TCU regained the lead shortly thereafter, but Young tied it again with a jumper.
McGusty gave Oklahoma the lead at 88-87 with 31 seconds left when he nailed yet another dagger from long range.
After Williams made it 89-88 in favor of TCU, Young was fouled with seven seconds remaining, and he showed his mental toughness by making both free throws to put Oklahoma back on top.
TCU had a chance to win it with the final shot, but as seen in this video from Mike Leslie of WFAA, it forced a long, contested shot that was off the mark:
Young wasn't on his own, but he was the driving force behind Oklahoma's ability to overcome a double-digit deficit in the second half.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman was among those who were in awe over Young:
The Ringer's Bill Simmons was even more effusive in his praise of Young, putting him on a pedestal all his own:
Oklahoma is on a nine-game winning streak, and it will continue to be tested early in Big 12 play. After a game against Oklahoma State, the Sooners will face No. 7 West Virginia and No. 22 Texas Tech before a Jan. 13 rematch with TCU.
The Horned Frogs arguably have an even tougher road coming up with No. 18 Baylor, No. 11 Kansas and Texas on the schedule prior to their second meeting with the Sooners.
Saturday's game lent credence to the idea that the Big 12 may be the deepest, most talented conference in college basketball, and Young's mere presence gives the Sooners a great shot to be near the top of the conference all season.