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TCU Basketball vs Oklahoma State: Preview

The Frogs are 2-0 in Big 12 play, the Pokes 0-2. Can TCU hold off the desperate Cowboys to continue their strong start?

TCU Basketball vs Iowa State (January 4th, 2020) | Fort Worth, TX
TCU Basketball vs Iowa State (January 4th, 2020) | Fort Worth, TX
Melissa Triebwasser

JAN. 11 | SCHOLLMAIER ARENA (6,800) | FORT WORTH, TEXAS | 1 PM

GAME INFORMATION:

Broadcast: ESPN2

Play-By-Play: Chuckie Kempf

Analyst: Tim Welsh

Online: WatchESPN.com // ESPN App

Radio: KTCU 88.7 FM // KLIF 570 AM SIRIUS XM 387 - (977 online)

Play-By-Play: Brian Estridge

Analyst: John Denton Online: HFTV // TuneIn

Series: Oklahoma State leads 26-8

In Fort Worth: OSU leads 9-4

In Stillwater: OSU leads 12-2

Neutral: OSU leads 5-2

First Meeting: OSU won 48-22 (1917-18) in Fort Worth

Last Meeting: TCU won 73-70 (3/13/19) in Kansas City

Winning Streak: TCU, 1 Dixon vs. OSU: 7-5

NOTES:

  • TCU (11-3, 2-0) will take its first-ever 2-0 start in Big 12 play into Saturday when it hosts Oklahoma State (9-5, 0-2) at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.
  • TCU is 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2008-09 season when it defeated Colorado State (1/3/09) and UNLV (1/10/09) to start Mountain West Conference action. The last 3-0 start was during the 1997-98 season when the Frogs went 14-0 in the WAC.
  • TCU leads the Big 12 in 3-pointers made per game (9.9), 3-point field goal percentage (37.1), blocks per game (5.21) and assists (17.4).
  • TCU ranks in the top 30 nationally in assists (9th, 17.4), 3-point field goals made (21st, 9.9), assist/turnover ratio (26th, 1.29), turnover margin (27th, 3.6) and turnovers forced (28th, 17.1).
  • TCU has two returning starters from last season, senior Desmond Bane and sophomore Kevin Samuel. Bane, who earned multiple preseason honors, ranks high in the conference in several categories including fourth in scoring average at 16.9 points per game.
  • Samuel ranks sixth in the nation in shooting at 68.8 percent from the field and is fifth in the Big 12 with 9.0 rebounds per game. Samuel’s eighth double-doubles this season leads the Big 12 and ranks 13th in the nation.
  • RJ Nembhard is averaging a Big 12 best 23.0 points in conference play following 31 points against Iowa State and 15 at Kansas State.
  • At 1,490 career points, Bane is 10th on TCU’s all-time scoring list. He is 10 points away from 1,500 and 13 points shy of Lee Nailon (1,503, 1997-99) for ninth.
  • At 118 career blocked shots, Samuel is sixth on TCU’s all-time list. Reggie Smith is next on the chart with 133.

LAST TIME OUT:

Kevin Samuel’s tip-in with 2.0 seconds left lifted the TCU men’s basketball team to its first road win of the season, 59-57, at Kansas State Tuesday night inside Bramlage Coliseum. The win also gave the Horned Frogs their first 2-0 start to conference play since joining the Big 12. With the game tied, 57-57, Samuel recorded his first points of the second half when he tipped in RJ Nembhard’s miss. The shot also gave the sophomore center 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting and a career-high 15 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT:

Oklahoma State is 9-5 overall, 0-2 in the Big 12, following a 55-41 loss to No. 17 West Virginia on Monday. The Cowboys, which return all five starters and had a top-25 recruiting class last season, are led by senior Lindy Waters’ 12.9 points per game. OSU ranks high nationally in two key defensive categories, 3-point field goal defense (18th, 35.1) and 24th in field goal percentage defense (24th, 38.2).

SERIES HISTORY:

Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 26-8 with a 9-4 advantage in Fort Worth. TCU has won four of the last five meetings, including the last two in Fort Worth. In the last meeting, Desmond Bane had 15 points and seven rebounds to help TCU to a 73-70 win in the first round of the 2019 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. The last three times the two teams met, the margin has been by seven points or less.

UP NEXT:

TCU will play at No. 17 West Virginia (12-2, 1-1) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.