TCU Basketball at Kansas State: Preview and Gamethread

GAME INFORMATION

TCU Horned Frogs (8-2, 1-1 Big 12) vs. KANSAS STATE Wildcats (5-5, 1-1 Big 12)

JAN. 2 | BRAMLAGE COLISEUM | MANHATTAN, KAN. | 1 PM

Broadcast: ESPNU

Play-By-Play: Rich Hollenberg

Analyst: Lance Blanks

Online: WatchESPN.com // ESPN App

Radio: KTCK The Ticket 96.7 FM/1310 AM XM/Online: 388/978

Play-By-Play: Brian Estridge

Analyst: John Denton

Online: HFTV // TuneIn

Series: KSU leads 17-8

In Fort Worth: KSU leads 6-3

In Manhattan: KSU leads 8-3

Neutral: KSU leads 3-2

First Meeting: KSU won 75-17, Dec. 11, 1947 at KSU

Last Meeting: KSU won 53-49, March 11, 2020 in KC

Winning Streak: KSU, W1

Dixon vs. KSU: Tied 5-5

NOTES

- TCU (8-2, 1-1) plays at Kansas State (5-5, 1-1) on Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPNU.

- It is TCU’s second Big 12 road game of the season after beating Oklahoma State 77-76 on Dec. 16. A win Saturday would make TCU 2-0 on the road in conference play for the first time in 22 years when the Frogs went 8-0 on the road in the WAC during the 1997-98 season.

- In his fifth season as TCU’s head coach, Jamie Dixon is eight wins away from 100. In his 18 years as head coach, Dixon has never had a losing season.

- This season marks the fifth straight that TCU has had at least eight wins through 10 games. TCU has won all four first games of the new year under Dixon.

- Freshman guard Mike Miles earned his second Big 12 Newcomer of the Week award of the season Monday after scoring a career-high 26 points against North Dakota State.

- Miles has three 20-point games this season and ranks seventh in the Big 12 with 15.2 points per game. Among freshmen, his scoring average is second in the Big 12 and 10th nationally.

- Miles and junior guard RJ Nembhard forms one of the top backcourts in the Big 12. Nembhard ranks second in the Big 12 with 18.4 points, fifth with 4.9 assists and sixth in shooting at 48.6 percent from the field. Miles is eighth in shooting at 57.4 percent.

- Junior center Kevin Samuel is TCU’s career leader with 189 blocked shots. He leads the Big 12 and ranks 19th nationally with 2.7 blocks per game. At Oklahoma State earlier this season, Samuel had seven blocks, the most by a TCU player in 20 seasons.

- Samuel ranks second in the Big 12 and 19th nationally with 10.2 rebounds per game. He ranks second in the Big 12 with 3.7 offensive rebounds per game and has three double-doubles this season.

- TCU leads the Big 12 with 4.5 blocks per game. The Frogs are second in the conference in assists with 15.8 per game.

- TCU’s 11 underclassmen is the fourth most in the country and ties with Kansas State for the most in the Big 12 Conference. Freshmen and sophomores are accounting for 54 percent of TCU’s points.

LAST TIME OUT

Holding Prairie View A&M to a 36 percent shooting mark, the TCU defense shined in a 66-61 victory Wednesday night. Freshman Mike Miles led the TCU offense with 18 points, made possible by an 8-of-9 effort at the free throw line. Kevin Samuel was a force in the paint all night with 12 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks. TCU was without RJ Nembhard (groin).

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

KSU has won four of its last five games, including a 60-58 win over Omaha on Dec. 29. The Wildcats are led in scoring by Mike McGuirl’s 12.4 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY

KSU leads the all-time series, 17-8, but TCU has won two of the last three meetings. Under Jamie Dixon, TCU is 2-2 in Manhattan, Kan., and won last season’s meeting, 59-57, on Jan. 7, 2020.

UP NEXT

TCU will host No. 3 Kansas on Tuesday at 9 p.m. on ESPN before hosting No. 2 Baylor on Saturday. It’s the first time TCU will host back-to-back games featuring top five teams.