FORT WORTH — One-possession game. Under two minutes. Shot clock getting low.
Alex Robinson dribbling between his legs at the top of the key.
That was the scene Wednesday night at Schollmaier Arena in the late stages of TCU’s Big 12 game against Texas.
“Two years ago, I would have been shaking in my shoes,” guard Desmond Bane said.
Two years ago, Robinson was a sophomore in his first season playing for TCU, splitting point guard duties. Bane was a freshman. Jamie Dixon was in his first year as head coach. Everyone was getting to know each other. Late-game situations weren’t exactly the Frogs’ strength.
Now, Robinson is a senior and playing like it.
Seeing the lane open as the late possession wound down against Texas, he coolly drove in for a layup that gave the Frogs a five-point lead with 1:42 left. Minutes earlier, his feeds to Bane had produced two spectacular layups.
Three expertly executed plays helped TCU win 65-61, reinforcing Robinson’s status as one of the league’s top point guards. In crunch time, the Frogs know they can match any team in experience, poise and playmaking at that position. Nobody shakes in their shoes anymore.
“I’ve been through it three years now,” Bane said. “I know A-Rob feels the same way. It’s pretty comfortable.”
Life in the Big 12 is never going to be a picnic. Few are the games that aren’t decided by one or two possessions in the final minutes.
That’s when Robinson’s value increases, as reflected in his numbers. The senior from Mansfield Timberview is second in the country at 7.9 assists per game and goes into Saturday’s 11 a.m. game against Florida only 15 assists away from the school career record held of 575 set by Corey Santee from 2002 to 2005.
Also in reach is the TCU single-season record for assists per game, 8.1 by Tony Edmond in 1989-90.
Robinson will get closer to the career record on Saturday when the Frogs play the Gators. Barring an out-of-this-world output, however, it looks like he will have to set the record on the road. The next two games are at Texas Tech and Baylor.
Whenever and wherever it happens, Santee will see it first-hand. He’s in his second season as a graduate assistant on Dixon’s staff.
If it comes in a late-game situation, it will be no surprise. With Robinson, the ball is in good hands.
