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ESPN analyst gives encouragement to TCU breakout star following heartbreaking loss

SimonGibbs_UserImageby:Simon Gibbs•03/22/22•

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Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images.

TCU forward Eddie Lampkin had himself a night to remember in the Round of 32, nearly willing the Horned Frogs to a miraculous upset victory over the No. 1-seeded Arizona Wildcats.

No. 9-seeded TCU, of course, fell just short of the upset, losing 85-80 in overtime. But that shouldn’t take away from what Lampkin accomplished, as he nearly brought the Horned Frogs to the Sweet 16. In 36 minutes, Lampkin poured in 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, while grabbing 14 rebounds and two huge blocks. Lampkin was heartbroken by the loss, taking to social media to share that he “can’t sleep” after the way the Horned Frogs’ season ended. But ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla was quick to reassure the second-year freshman that the best has yet to come.

“Get to work, (TCU) big fella and become one of the best ‘bigs’ in the country next season,” Franschilla said to Lampkin.

Lampkin’s 20 points was a career-high, as was his 14-rebound tally. A 6-foot-11, 268-pound forward/center, Lampkin far outperformed his season-long stat line at TCU, as he entered the game averaging just 6.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough, as the Horned Frogs still fell five minutes short of the Sweet 16.

Lampkin lost roughly 20 pounds year-over-year, completely transforming his body after hardly playing in the 2020-21 season. That season, Lampkin — then a true freshman — appeared in just 10 games, failing to make a start, and averaged just 0.6 points and 0.9 rebounds per contest. Coming out of high school in Katy, Texas, Lampkin was ranked as a three-star recruit, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 31-ranked power forward in the 2020 recruiting class, as well as the eighth-best recruit coming out of the state of Texas.

Bennedict Mathurin posterizes Eddie Lampkin, Arizona sneaks past TCU in OT

Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurin is one of the most electrifying players in all of college basketball. He’s carried his Wildcats all season long to a No. 1 seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Tonight, his Wildcats were in a real dogfight with the TCU Horned Frogs and Mathurin had one of the biggest dunks of this year’s tournament.

Check it out as he cocked the ball back in mid-air and put TCU’s Eddie Lampkin, Jr. on a poster.

Highlight plays like that are exactly why so many people across America picked the Wildcats to win the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The game was a fierce battle all night long and luckily for Mathurin and Arizona, they were able to outlast the Horned Frogs in overtime, 85-80.