You Think That Was Physical, TCU? No, No. THIS Is Physical.

GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 21: Cameron Boozer #12 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on in the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs during the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 21, 2026 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) | Getty Images A s you saw, TCU wanted to get physical with Duke, and that worked – until it didn’t. This game was tied 44-44 with 13:56 to play, and the Blue Devils outscored the Horned Frogs 37-14 to win, 81-58.

However, it wasn’t as easy as the score would suggest. Jamie Dixon has a good team with some good basketball players, but none of them are first-round draft picks or anything. Plus, they’re not very tall.

Both of his starting guards are 6-0, and his frontcourt runs 6-8, 6-7, and 6-6. While smallish, though, the frontcourt is thick and powerful, and they nearly got Duke in big trouble in the first half. Cameron Boozer picked up two fouls in a big hurry, and in his return, Patrick Ngongba also picked up two fouls in the first half.

TCU kept Duke from scoring a basket for about a 9-minute stretch spanning the end of the first half and the second, and the Blue Devils were a bit butter-fingered, too. They had 8 turnovers in the first half and 9 in the second for 17 total. And for part of the second half, it looked like TCU’s strategy was going to work.