(Photo/Gregg Ellman )
LAWRENCE, KS — TCU (9-5) will hit the road to take on No. 15 Kansas (10-5) on Thursday night. This will be the Horned Frogs first game back after their two games last week were postponed due to COVID-19 related issues within the Big 12 Conference. TCU has not played since January 12 against Oklahoma.
TCU is fighting for a spot in the upcoming March Madness tournament with this road game against the Jayhawks. The Horned Frogs sit at 2-4 in their conference and have a tough remaining schedule before tournament play hits.
The Horned Frogs last matchup against the Sooners was ugly for TCU. They lost to Oklahoma for the second time this season in a 82-46 blowout. The Horned Frogs were cold on offense the entire game. They shot 18-of-52 (34 percent) for the night and 4-of-19 (21 percent) from beyond the arc, all four three-pointers were made in the second half.
TCU’s offense could not get anything to go their way against the Sooners. The two powerhouses for TCU, RJ Nembhard and Mike Miles combined for only 18 total points, when both players are usually in double-figure scoring.
On the defensive side it was the same story for TCU. They got outrebounded on both the offensive and defensive end 35-42. The Sooners three-guard trio; De’Vion Harmon, Austin Reaves, and Alondes Williams combined for 43 total points.
TCU’s offense is heavily reliant on three players; Nembhard, Miles, and Kevin Samuel. Nembhard is averaging 17.2 points per game and is a make or break factor for the TCU offense. Alongside Nembhard, Miles steers this TCU offense and has had three 20-point games this season. Samuel cleans up under the basket, averaging 9.3 rebounds per game and 9.7 points per game.
These three players are going to be key for TCU tonight. The biggest factor is going to be Samuel under the basket. If he puts a body on Kansas down low and crashes the boards while Miles and Nembhard are shooting well, TCU will pull out a victory.
The Jayhawks are coming into this game on a three-game losing streak. They have struggled offensively the last three games and TCU’s defense will have to capitalize on that. Samuel will have to limit second chance opportunities. TCU’s defense will have to limit Ochai Agbaji’s time with the ball and not let him get going offensively.
The game will be Thursday, January 28 at 7 p.m.
