Game Thread: #14 TCU Basketball at West Virginia

The TCU Horned Frogs have jumped back up to #14 in the AP Poll, the spot it held in the preseason ranking, thanks to a win on Saturday over Kansas State. The Frogs face a challenging mountain ahead this week, with a pair of road games in places TCU has never won in program history, beginning Wednesday night in Morgantown, WV. TCU is winless in ten tries to take down the Mountaineers (10-7; 0-5) when traveling down the country road since the two programs joined the Big 12 conference. While the 2023 versions of these teams are widely separated in the standings, they are very similar in the stat sheet and metrics - even scoring identical 78.1 points per game. Do not let the Mountaineers’ record fool you, this game will be a battle.

You can read our full Game Preview before tip-off and join us in the comments section below as we cover today’s contest.

GAME 18: AT WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

JAN. 18 | WVU COLISEUM (14,000) | MORGANTOWN, WV | 6 PM

How to watch & listen:

Broadcast: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Online Streaming: WatchESPN // ESPN App
Play-By-Play: Pete Sousa Analyst: Bryndon Manzer
Radio: KLIF 570 AM | XM/SXM Ap: 83/83
Play-By-Play: Brian Estridge Analyst: John Denton
Online Radio: HFTV // TuneIn // Varsity

Series History:

Series: WVU leads 17-4
In Morgantown: WVU leads 10-0
First Meeting: WVU won 71-50 (1/23/13) in Morgantown
Last Meeting: WVU won 70-64 (3/5/22) in Morgantown
Winning Streak: WVU, W1 Dixon vs. WVU: 16-15

Rankings:

TCU:
AP: 14
Coaches: 13
KenPom: 27
NET: 22

West Virginia:
AP: NR
Coaches: NR
KenPom: 24
NET: 29

Draftkings Sportsbook Odds:

Moneyline: TCU: +125; WVU: -145
Spread: WVU -2.5
Point Total: 149

PrizePicks Player Props:

GAME NOTES

• No. 14 TCU will look for its first-ever win at West Virginia on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
• TCU is 3-2 against AP Top 25 teams this season. Last season, TCU had a program record five wins over the Top 25.
• TCU is 3-2 in NET Quadrant 1 games. Last season, TCU was 8-8 in Q1 games.
• Of TCU’s 31 wins over AP Top 25 teams in its history, 16 have come in the seven seasons under Dixon.
• TCU is ranked for the seventh consecutive week in the AP Top 25 Poll, and the ninth week overall, currently at 14.
• Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year Mike Miles Jr. ranks second in the Big 12 with 19.0 points per game.
• Miles has scored 10 or more points in 19-straight games. He ranks tied for 31st at TCU with 1,081 career points.
• Miles is the only player from a Power 5 conference averaging at least 19 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
• Among numerous preseason watch lists, Miles was most recently named to the Wooden Midseason Top 25.
• Emanuel Miller ranks 10th in the Big 12 with 14.7 points per game and is coming off a season-high 23-point performance against Kansas State. He has scored in double figures in 12 of his 14 games played.
• Miller leads the Big 12 in shooting at 58.4 percent and is ninth in the conference in rebounding at 6.2 per game.
• Damion Baugh has led the Frogs in assists in eight of the 11 games he’s played. His 5.2 per game would be third in the Big 12 if he had enough games to qualify.
• Eddie Lampkin Jr. ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 7.2 rebounds per game.
• Lampkin leads the Big 12 with and ranks 12th nationally with 3.7 offensive rebounds per game.
• Lampkin brings down 16.8 percent of all TCU missed shots, which ranks ninth nationally.
• TCU leads the nation with 22.0 fastbreak points per game. The Frogs had 32 fastbreak points against KSU.
• TCU is one of the top rebounding teams in the Big 12 and ranking first with 12.7 offensive rebounds per game and second with 38.0 rebounds per game.
• TCU has improved it’s assist/turnover radio this season (1.43) from a year ago (0.94).
• TCU ranks second in the Big 12 (ISU) and eighth nationally with a +5.4 turnover margin.
• TCU has shot over 48 percent from the field in each of its last four games and for an average of 48.3.
• TCU’s 11.7 turnovers per game is the best in the Big 12.
• TCU ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 22nd nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency (93.4).
• TCU ranks second in the Big 12 and 22nd nationally with 5.2 blocked shots per game.
• TCU leads the Big 12 and ranks 22nd nationally with 39.5 percent its minutes coming from nonstarters.
• Under Dixon in Schollmaier Arena, TCU is 86-31 overall and 30-26 in Big 12 games.

LAST TIME OUT

• TCU rolled over No. 11 Kansas State, 82-68, Saturday afternoon in Schollmaier Arena.
• Emanuel Miller led all players with a career-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds.
• Mike Miles recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.
• Eddie Lampkin recorded a season-high 17 points.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

• West Virginia has lost five-straight games including most recently a 77-76 loss at Oklahoma.
• The Mountaineers are led by Tre Mitchell’s 13.6-point average and Erik Stevenson’s 13.5 points per game.
• WVU’s last two losses have been by a combined six points.

UP NEXT
TCU will try for its first-ever win at Allen Fieldhouse when it plays at No. 2 Kansas on Saturday at noon on CBS.