FORT WORTH, Texas _ TCU's turnaround season in men's basketball may or may not end with a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 19 years.
But it will conclude without a regular-season victory over a Top 25 opponent.
That became clear Saturday when the Horned Frogs fell to No. 12 West Virginia 61-60 at Schollmaier Arena. The setback marked the fifth consecutive loss for the Horned Frogs (17-12, 6-10 in Big 12), the team's longest slide of the season.
It stands as the season's most gut-wrenching defeat because it hurt the team's March Madness hopes while ending in controversial fashion.
West Virginia guard Daxter Miles sank 1 of 2 free throws after a foul was called on TCU's Jaylen Fisher with 4.8 seconds remaining. Replays showed incidental contact, but Miles, a career 57 percent foul shooter, went to the line and made the game-winner.
"It'll be talked about a lot," TCU coach Jamie Dixon said of the pivotal foul call. "I thought we did a good job of defending. But you've got to go by what they call. We didn't get the break down the stretch, so we've got to start making breaks."
Fisher said: "I felt my hands were straight up. But it went their way."
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said he couldn't see the play unfold because his view was obstructed by players on the court. Regardless, Miles' free throw, coupled with a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer by TCU's Desmond Bane, eliminated the Frogs' final chance to secure a victory over a Top 25 opponent that would aid the team's efforts to secure an at-large NCAA bid for the first time since 1998. TCU has lost its last 22 games to ranked opponents.
TCU's remaining regular-season games are against unranked opponents Kansas State (Wednesday) and Oklahoma (March 4).
"We have to be a team that beats ranked teams at home," Dixon said. "Playing close is not good enough. There are no rewards for that."
The Frogs' chance for a signature win disappeared Saturday during a second half that included 11 lead changes. TCU, playing without starting forward JD Miller (groin injury), held its final lead, 54-53, when Vladimir Brodziansky made a layup with 4:57 remaining.
West Virginia responded with a 7-1 run, upping the lead to 60-55, before the Frogs rallied over the final 2:08. Both Fisher (18 points, four assists) and Alex Robinson (11 points, four rebounds) went to the line in the final minute. Each made 1 of 2 free throws, giving West Virginia the ball with a chance to break a 60-60 tie on its final possession.
That trip down the court resulted in the foul on Fisher. Dixon predicted the call would be "talked about nationally" and, within an hour after the contest ended, it became a source of discussion among ESPN basketball analysts.
What did Huggins think when Miles, who has made just 26 of 46 free throws this season, headed to the line with the game on the line?
"I thought he could make one," Huggins said. "I didn't know about two."
He made the first and missed the second, allowing TCU to set up a final play. Robinson drove the lane and kicked the ball to Bane, who was open behind the arc.
"He made the right play and the right pass," Dixon said. "We got a great shot by a good shooter."
But Bane, who made his first two attempts of the game from beyond the arc, misfired on shot No. 3. TCU, which was outscored in the paint (34-22) and committed 21 turnovers, is left to wonder if it can re-energize its NCAA Tournament hopes by winning its final two regular-season games. Dixon said he is unsure if Miller, a last-minute scratch who practiced Friday, will be available for Wednesday's game against K-State.
Robinson acknowledged Saturday's disappointment was huge, considering Dixon told players it loomed as their "biggest game of the year" in regard to sending a message about the Frogs' NCAA worthiness.
"This was a big game for us. For right now, it hurts," Robinson said. "But every game we've lost hurt equally. The next game is our biggest game and that's what we've got to look towards."
Dixon, who led Pittsburgh to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances in his 13 seasons at the school, indicated he does not believe the March Madness talk is taking a mental toll on TCU players experiencing it for the first time.
"I don't feel that. I don't sense that," Dixon said. "What I see is that we've just got to get more physical. We're allowing ourselves to be pushed around and we've got to change that mentality."
