Game Info

Date: Saturday, February 3rd
Time: 1:00 pm
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-4, 6-3)
Bad Guys: TCU Horned Frogs (16-6, 4-5)
Location: Schollmaier Arena | Ft. Worth, Texas
TV/Stream: ESPNU
Radio/Stream: 97.3 FM/104.3 FM/950 AM

Lineups

* Assists.

Starting 5

1. KenPom. KenPom has TCU as the 19th best team in the nation, 5th in AdjO and 119th in AdjD, while Texas Tech is 12th overall, 64th in AdjO and 3rd in AdjD.

2. Stats. Via RealGM notes that TCU is a significantly better shooting team, clocking in at 58%, while Texas Tech is at 53% (that’s pretty significant all things considered). Both teams rebound the ball at around 34%-33%, while Texas Tech shares a higher free throw rate, 29% to 24% and both teams turn the ball over at around 15%-16%. As a team, TCU shoots over 50% from the field and 41% from the three-point line. TCU can get at it offensively and considering how the Texas Tech offense has so reliant on Keenan that some of these other guys are going to have to keep pace. TCU will score points.

3. Scouting. TCU is a different team without Fisher, but maybe they are figuring things out. TCU whalloped Oklahoma State in Stillwater, lost a close one to Vanderbilt in Nashville. Basically, TCU is winning at home, including all of those Big 12 games, the only losses at home were to Kansas and Oklahoma. My worry with this game is that Brodziansky is a really tough match up for most team and I’d include Texas Tech in that group. He’s such a fun player to watch and he’s got an array of moves that somewhat harken back to the days of Tim Duncan. Robinson is very much a point guard in the truest sense, score when needed, but distribute the ball. And Williams is always a tough match up as well, but I think with how Zhaire has played defensively, I’m not as worried about that match-up.

4. Reading Material.

• A-J Media’s Carlos Silva, Jr. – No. 10 Red Raiders face off against burgeoning TCU in Fort Worth:
  

  ndrew Sorrells and Parker Hicks were sitting on the bench, yelling out plays or encouraging their Texas Tech teammates on the court against Texas in a Big 12 home game Wednesday night.

  The Red Raider walk-ons, who had already done their work as part of the scout team, continued to fulfill their roles by staying locked in while on the bench.

  After a back-and-forth game, which saw No. 10 Texas Tech give up a 13-point lead in the second half, Sorrells and Parker were able to celebrate after Keenan Evans drained a game-winning shot before the buzzer to propel the Red Raiders to a 73-71 victory over the Longhorns in front of a sellout crowd.

  “I’ve never hit a game-winner, no, but (Wednesday) night was just crazy feeling the atmosphere and everything,” said Hicks, a 6-foot-5 freshman preferred walk-on guard from Decatur. “Even though me and Drew (Andrew Sorrells) were on the sidelines, trying to provide energy that way. It was kind of hard to hear us with the other 15,000 are screaming. But it was just an experience that I’ll never forget.”

• FWST’s Stefan Stevenson – ‘There’s nothing like college basketball done right,’ and TCU is doing it right:
  

  The last time the Frogs (16-6, 4-5 in the Big 12) played a game in Fort Worth they were upsetting then-No. 7 West Virginia before a sold-out crowd. It was arguably the loudest the arena has ever been. Add to that a national television audience watching it all on ESPN.

  The raucous atmosphere was integral to TCU’s big win and Dixon and his players celebrated with students on the court afterward. They’d love a repeat performance against the Red Raiders (18-4, 6-3).

  “There’s nothing like college basketball done right and we’re doing it right right now,” Dixon said. “The atmosphere you saw on Monday and the atmosphere we’ve had here in recent years, I mean it shows … it’s important to your school, it’s important to your students.”

• SI’s Michael Beller – Picks: No. 1 Villanova vs. Seton Hall, No. 12 Oklahoma Visits Texas and More Weekend Must-Sees:
  

  This is the start of a brutal four-game stretch for TCU, during which it will play Texas Tech, Kansas, Texas and West Virginia in a matter of nine days. The Horned Frogs are no sure thing for the NCAA tournament and a bad run over the next couple of weeks could have them in trouble heading into March. They’ve been able to keep their offense rolling without Jaylen Fisher, but the Red Raiders will present a unique challenge. They’re ranked third in kenpom.com’s adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing 89.7 points per 100 possessions. Given their upcoming schedule, the Horned Frogs cannot afford to drop a home game, even against a quality opponent like Texas Tech.

  Texas Tech 72, TCU 70

5. Official Site. The official site with the official preview and we hear from head coach Chris Beard:

“You can’t get too high or too low,” Beard said. “This is life in the Big 12. I think Shaka Smart’s deal is response, how are you going to respond to situations? I like that. We have the 12-hour rule around here. We will kind of beat ourselves up after a loss for 12 hours. Then, we have to move on. Same thing after if we are fortunate enough to get a win. You can enjoy it for a few hours then you have to get right back to work. I have said consistently that I don’t think the Big 12 race really starts until February. Here we are. Everybody is 0-0, and most of us are in pretty good positions. Some have a little catching up to do, but there is a lot of basketball left. TCU has lost two overtime games in a row where they could have won the game basically one possession games. They are one of the best teams in our conference, and they are one of the hottest teams in the country right now.”