(Photo/Gregg Ellman )
AUSTIN, TX — After back-to-back games at home, TCU (11-7) will head to Austin to take on No. 13 Texas (12-5) on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The Horned Frogs are on a two-game winning streak and have great momentum coming into this game.
TCU is coming off a 79-76 win over Iowa State, RJ Nembhard led the way with 20 points and six rebounds. TCU’s entire team participated in the win over the Cyclones, four out of the five starters scored in double-figures and 20 points came off the bench.
The Horned Frogs defense was also steller on Wednesday night, they outrebounded Iowa State 51-34. They were led by Kevin Samuel’s strong presence in the paint, he had a double-double on the night with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
These two teams were supposed to go head to head less than a month ago but head coach Jamie Dixon tested positive for COVID-19 and the game was postponed. The game has yet to be rescheduled.
TCU will have to play smart as they are facing one of the nations best teams. Texas is ranked No. 13 in the AP’s Top 25 Poll and beat Kansas State 80-77 earlier this week, breaking a three-game losing streak. Texas has struggled throughout the season with positive COVID-19 tests throughout the program postponing and cancelling many games. After Andrew Jone’s 24 point performance against Kansas State they are hopeful the COVID-19 issues are behind them and they can bounce back to have a successful rest of the season before NCAA tournament play.
Texas will try and use their offensive weapons and stout defense to defeat TCU. Texas’s trio in the back court; Andrew Jones, Matt Coleman III, and Courtney Ramey will look to score big in Saturday afternoon’s game. TCU’s defense will have to lock down these three key players and not let them get in the groove of shooting.
There is going to be a battle under the basket between Kevin Samuel and Greg Brown. Samuel leads TCU in blocked shots and rebounds, averaging 8.8 rebounds per game. Brown is Texas’s freshman phenom, the 6″9 five-star recruit averages 7.6 rebounds per game.
TCU’s rebounding game has been the decision maker for a lot of their games this season. Samuel needs to use his seniority and knowledge of the game to beat Brown on the boards. The Horned Frogs will need to out rebound Texas if they want to beat the top 25 team.
TCU’s offense will have to perform like they did in their last game. They can not rely on Nembhard to score all the points on his own. All five starters will need to pull their own weight and the players on the bench need to be ready to perform when they are called to the court.
