SAN DIEGO (AP) — Mike Miles Jr. scored 21 points and ninth-seeded TCU got its first NCAA Tournament victory in 35 years, easily dispatching eighth-seeded Seton Hall 69-42 on Friday night.
The Horned Frogs' last tournament victory was in 1987 against Marshall, when coach Jamie Dixon was a senior at his alma mater. They haven't had many opportunities since: This was their third appearance since 1988 and second in Dixon's six seasons.
Damion Baugh scored 14 points for TCU, which shot 27 of 53 (50.9%) from the field and led most of the game. It also dominated inside, outscoring Seton Hall 40-14 in the paint.
The Horned Frogs (21-12) will take on the South Region's top seed, Arizona, on Sunday in the second round. The
Jamir Harris and Myles Cale each scored 11 points for Seton Hall (21-11), which shot 28.8% from the field, its worst performance in an NCAA Tournament game. The Pirates' previous worst shooting game was 32.3% against Gonzaga in a 2016 first-round loss.
Jared Rhoden was held to four points and fouled out in what is likely his game for Seton Hall. The first-team All-Big East guard came into the game averaging 15.9 points.
A 3-pointer by Jamir Harris got the Pirates within 12-11 before the Horned Frogs went on a 12-1 run that included six points by Miller. Seton Hall missed eight straight shots and was held without a field goal for 5:43 as it started 5 of 24.
TCU led 33-21 at halftime and began the second half with a 15-4 run.
BIG PICTURE
TCU: Dixon improved to 8-4 against Seton Hall, with the previous 11 games coming when he was Pittsburgh's coach.
Seton Hall: The Pirates had some late-season momentum with six straight wins before dropping their final two.
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