The Kansas Jayhawks have had a tough week and will try to get back on track Wednesday night when they play host to the TCU Horned Frogs at the Allen Fieldhouse, always a tough place for opposing teams to play.
Kansas will be looking to rebound in the game off a tough loss to Iowa State, likely to knock the team out of the top-5 in the AP. While the loss to the Cyclones was big, the loss of Udoka Azubuike looms even bigger, forcing the Jayhawks to find a way to get back in the win column despite a significantly weakened frontcourt.
As for TCU, the Horned Frogs are just trying to keep the good times rolling. They’ve won nine straight, but did look a bit rusty in their last game, barely topping Baylor as the team battles its own injury woes and an uncertain status for Jaylen Fisher.
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TCU Horned Frogs vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Date and Time: Wednesday, January 9, 2019, 9 p.m. ET
Location: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
College Basketball Odds: Check Back Later
Horned Frogs vs. Jayhawks Tide TV Coverage: ESPN2
The Horned Frogs didn’t really have a challenging non-conference schedule, but the team did breeze through the schedule it had while delivering a good showing with an 85-81 win over Baylor in its Big-12 season debut on Saturday.
TCU had a 19-point lead at one point against Baylor and almost let it slip away with the Bears fighting back, but ultimately coming up short.
The game was their first since Christmas Day due to a cancellation. The Horned Frogs also had to play without Jaylen Fisher. Fisher is suffering from a knee injury and had his knee drained recently. He’ll be a game time decision again on Wednesday. He’s missed four games this year, but when he does play he’s one of the team’s better guards with 12.1 PPG. He’s one of the team’s best shooters on the outside.
With or without Fisher on the court, TCU does most out of the backcourt. Desmond Bane and Alex Robinson are the team’s top two scorers. Bane has 14.4 PPG and is shooting 54.5-percent from the floor. Robinson has 13.5 PPG and an even more impressive 8.7 APG. Both Bane and Robinson are solid outside shots.
The same can be said for Kouat Noi. The forward is able to spread the court and shoot inside or out. Noi and fellow forward J.D. Miller are both scoring in the double-digits per contest while center Kevin Samuel rounds out those averaging at least 20 minutes. He’s a presence under the basket on both sides of the ball, offering TCU a bit of height on what is otherwise an undersized roster.
As a team, TCU is sinking nearly half of its shots from the floor and has scored at least 82 points in six straight games while winning nine straight.
While the Horned Frogs will be looking for their 10th straight win on Wednesday, Kansas will be trying to rebound off a difficult loss to Iowa State.
The Cyclones topped the Jayhawks 60-77, holding Kansas to just 42.9-percent shooting from the floor. Kansas struggled defensively just as much as offensively. The Jayhawks easy won the battle of the boards, but failed had just six steals and one block.
The loss to Iowa State was the second loss for Kansas in four games after an 8-0 start to the season. Arizona State hung the other loss on Kansas.
The Jayhawks scored more against the Sun Devils, but still fell, losing 76-80.
Those losses aside, Kansas is still a good team, but they’re not nearly as good as they were before the news Udoka Azubuike will miss the remainder of the season. It’s no coincidence that the team’s only two losses game in games he didn’t play.
At 7’1”, Azubuike offered an exceptional wingspan and presence inside. He was a good shooter inside, but just as importantly he was a major contributor to the team in rebounds and blocks.
Without Azubuike, the front court is a bit more open. Dedric Lawson is still a star forward. With 18.6 PPG and 11.1 RPG, he’s shown his worth multiple times over, but he, too, has played his best basketball with Azubuike in the game to take pressure off him inside.
When Azubuike isn’t on the court, Kansas goes with a lot more four-guard sets. Look for that against TCU. Lagerald Vick, Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes are great guards and Marcus Garrett is a solid role player in his own right. The four provide a good variety of skill sets.
Dotson and Vick are good outside shots by the numbers though neither did much in the loss to Iowa State. In that game, Grimes led the team in scoring with 19 points, adding six rebounds. Lawson nabbed a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Nobody else scored more than eight.
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Azubuike’s injury certainly impacts the spread greatly, but the status of Fisher will be the biggest question mark. He’s traditionally been a game-time decision this year and there’s no reason to think Wednesday will be any different.
Fisher’s availability, of course, will be paramount, but so will be how well Kansas rebounds from their most recently loss. After the team’s only other loss, they got Azubuike back in the lineup. That won’t be happening this time.
Watch how well both teams come out of the gate. Both teams need to find a way to win on the glass, too. Watch if Lawson is able to get any real help on the boards for Kansas or if Samuel and Miller can take advantage of a weakened front court to get the ball in their teammates’ hands more often with an open shot.
Key Player
Lawson is absolutely the key. Without Azubuike, Lawson is the team’s inside presence. He’s been better with Azubuike on the court, but Lawson is still shooting 50-percent from the floor with 18.6 PPG and 11.1 RPG. He’s a good blocker, too.
With both Lawson and Azubuike, Kansas are the clear favorites inside the paint. Now, Lawson will have to do all the work to outduel Miller, Samuel and company inside.
Horned Frogs vs. Jayhawks Live Betting
In the end, look for the Allen Fieldhouse to be a bit too much for TCU. While both Kansas’ losses this year came without Azubuike, they both also came on the road.
Look for another big game from Lawson who has proven himself in a big way. On the outside, count on Grimes’ recent surge to continue. He’s scored 49 in his last three games and has stepped up his game in a big way.
This Kansas team is just too good at home to bank on the TCU upset even with all the questions for Kansas. But, don’t look for a blowout in this one either. The Horned Frogs are a sneaky good team that’ll keep the game close until Lawson and Grimes lead the Jayhawks on a late run to gain a bit of separation.
Be sure to check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for this Wednesday’s college basketball action.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Kansas 80, TCU 74
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