TCU Basketball Preview: Oklahoma State Cowboys

Game Time: 8:00pm CDT | Location: Gallagher-Iba Arena - Stillwater, OK
TV: ESPNU | Series: OSU leads 21-3 | Game Line: OSU -8.0

The last time TCU won a basketball game in Stillwater, the President of the United States was Calvin Coolidge. The hot new automobile was the Model T Roadster from the Ford Motor Company. The top song in the country was a little hit called "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" by Gene Austin. And the U.S. consisted of just 48 states.

The year was 1925. The TCU Horned Frogs, who had joined the Southwest Conference just one season earlier, defeated Oklahoma State 37-16 in Stillwater, in what ended up being the Cowboys' last season in the league. Since then, the program is 0-7 in Stillwater, including 0-6 inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. TCU will look to buck that trend and earn a historic victory over the Cowboys tonight.

In the first meeting between the schools this season, which was coincidentally the first time ever that the Frogs beat OSU in Fort Worth, TCU took care of the Pokes in the second half to come away with a 70-55 victory. The Frogs shot 52.0% from the field and nearly 80.0% from the line in their upset of the then-21^st ranked Cowboys.

Since that game, the two programs have moved in different directions. TCU has won three of their last five and is increasing hope for a bid to the NIT. The Frogs have improved to 17-12 overall and 4-12 in Big 12 play. On the other hand, Oklahoma State has dropped four in a row and is in danger of falling out of the NCAA Tournament field. Right now, the Cowboys are 17-11 overall and 7-9 in conference play.

Most recently, the Pokes traveled to Lubbock and fell to the Red Raiders 63-62 on a clutch three-pointer with less than ten seconds remaining in the contest.  Oklahoma State will return home tonight, looking both to return to their winning ways and to honor a large group of seniors. Six OSU seniors will he celebrated tonight in Stillwater, most notably Le'Bryan Nash, Anthony Hickey, and Michael Cobbins.

Nash has been a leader for Oklahoma State throughout his career. This season he is leading the way for OSU, averaging 16.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Hickey and Cobbins aren't far behind, averaging 9.2 and 7.0 points per game respectively. In the first meeting, Nash carried the weight for the Cowboys. He scored 19 points and pulled in seven rebounds in the loss.

Phil Forte is another leader on this Oklahoma State team. He is dropping 15.6 points per game while dishing out about two assists and gathering two steals per game. The TCU defense contained Forte in the first meeting, holding him to just seven points on 3/10 shooting from the field. Forte is perhaps most deadly behind the arc. The 40.0% deep shooter was just 1/5 from three-point land in the first meeting.

Speaking of that TCU defense, it held Oklahoma State to just 55 points in the first meeting, thanks in large part to great perimeter defending that cooled down a hot-shooting OSU team. The defense will need to put up another impressive performance this evening if the Frogs are to knock off Oklahoma State on the road.

Tonight's game will carry some significant weight as far as TCU's first round opponent in the Big 12 Tournament is concerned. If the Frogs knock off the Cowboys tonight, then Texas and West Virginia take care of business at home on Saturday against Kansas State and Oklahoma State respectively, TCU and OSU will face off again in the opening game of the tournament. If the Cowboys win tonight and Texas takes care of Kansas State on Saturday, the Frogs will get the Wildcats in the first round. Finally, if Kansas State beats Texas on Saturday, then TCU will face Texas.

Here are some other notes, provided by GoFrogs.com:

• TCU was receiving votes last month in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
  The last time TCU was receiving votes in February came during the 1998-99 campaign.
• TCU is 31-6 when leading at the half under head coach Trent Johnson.
• TCU has now held 30 opponents to 59 points or less under Trent Johnson.
• In its last three home outings, TCU has held Oklahoma State, Kansas State & Texas Tech to 55 points or below.
• TCU has out-rebounded its opposition 18 times this season.
• TCU has already bettered its win total from a year ago and 2011-12.
• TCU played its 11th ranked opponent in 16 games this past Saturday at Oklahoma.
• Kyan Anderson is No. 6 all-time in scoring in program history with 1,566 points.
• Anderson passed TCU great Kurt Thomas in points for a career vs. K-State.
• Anderson moved into No. 1 all-time in program history in steals against Oklahoma State with now 167.
• Kenrich Williams has scored in double-figures in 14 of the 29 games this season.
• Williams had his second double-double of the season against Texas Tech with 10 points, 16 rebounds.
• Williams had a career-high 16 rebounds against Texas Tech.
• Trey Zeigler has scored in double-figures in 11 Big 12 games this year after scoring 16 at Oklahoma.