Roach lifts Texas past TCU 58-44 and into NIT championship

NEW YORK (AP) — Kerwin Roach II is the Texas guard’s name, the numerals not part of the running tally marker for his season suspensions.

Back on the roster, Roach stayed in the game and kept the Longhorns in the hunt to end the season in New York with a championship.

Roach turned a season marred by suspension into a can’t-miss performance in the first half to help Texas get comfortable at Madison Square Garden and beat TCU 58-44 on Tuesday night for a spot in the NIT championship.

“It was tough for our team when he went out,” coach Shaka Smart said. “It was certainly tough for him. He was really, really down and disappointed in himself.”

TCU had swept the season series against Texas and failed to go 3-0 against its in-state and Big 12 rival. Texas still has won 18 of the last 25 games against the Horned Frogs.

TCU coach Jamie Dixon insisted his team (with a 7-11 mark in the Big 12) was snubbed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee and used it as a motivating force for the program. Fueled by the snub, the Horned Frogs stormed past Sam Houston State, Nebraska and Creighton to get to New York.

Dixon has led a traditionally downtrodden program in TCU into a mid-pack Big 12 winner, one reason why speculation has swirled that UCLA has targeted him as a candidate for its vacancy.

“I have a great job. I’m very lucky where I’m at,” Dixon said, dismissing UCLA questions.