The Texas Longhorns snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Oklahoma at home on Saturday, but will hit the road again for a showdown against the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth on Wednesday night.
It’s been a bit of a struggle for the Longhorns this season and while the Horned Frogs have a better overall record, they’ve had a hard time since the start of conference play, going 2-3 overall. They’ll look to take advantage of home court advantage to get back to .500 in conference and build some momentum.
Texas, on the other hand, is back in the win column and will desperately try to stay there. Even before their latest win, the team fought valiantly in Lawrence against Kansas and has played some really good basketball of late. Can the Longhorns keep that going and get an upset win on the road against TCU or will the Horned Frogs be able to get back in the win column at home?
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Texas Longhorns vs. TCU Horned Frogs
Date and Time: Wednesday, January 23, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
Location: Schollmaier Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
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Longhorns vs. Horned Frogs TV Coverage: ESPN
Horned Frogs are just 2-3 in conference play with their record split on venue. They’re undefeated at home and winless on the road.
TCU is coming off a distinctly tough loss, falling 55-65 against Kansas State. In that game, the TCU offense went quiet, shooting 42.6-percent from the floor and sinking just six of 24 shots from three-point range.
Offensive is typically a strength of the Horned Frogs who have 79 PPG though it’s been a bit up-and-down of late. As a whole, the team is shooting 48.2-percent from the floor and 36.1-percent from the outside. TCU, however, has had some issues shooting from the free-throw line from time-to-time.
TCU’s offensive see-saw is partially attributable to their dependence on the outside shot. The Horned Frogs have Desmond Bane and Alex Robinson in the backcourt with 14.8 and 13.8 PPG respectively.
They’re missing Jaylen Fisher who has 12.1 PPG and was a premium shot outside, but still have four active players with at least 10 PPG including forward Kouat Noi who may be the best active outside shooter on the team. He shot 8-for-12 outside against Oklahoma. He scored 30 in that game despite the team coming up short.
Along with Noi is fellow forwards JD Miller and Kevin Samuel. The two lead the team on the glass with Samuel a strong defensive option inside able to blocks shots in key situations.
On the other side of this matchup is a Texas team that just snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Oklahoma at home, 75-72.
Texas struggled outside, but shot well overall with Kerwin Roach II leading the way. He nabbed 23-points, shooting well inside and out.
The team ended up with four players with at least 15 points in the game including Matt Coleman III, Dylan Osetkowski, and Jaxson Hayes. The rest of the team combined for seven.
In the game before, Texas came up short against Kansas for their third straight loss, but fought the Jayhawks down to the wire. In the end, the shooting was lacking, but the team played well on the glass and defensively to stay close.
Statistically, the Longhorns aren’t the most efficient shooters, except from the free-throw line, but they struggle to get to the line consistently. The team is shooting just 43-percent from the floor.
Inside, Hayes and Osetkowski leads the way. They’re both solid scorers while Hayes is the better blocker and Osetkowksi leads the way on the boards.
On the outside, Roach and Coleman are the main guys. The two guards are the leading scorers on the team with 14.1 PPG and 10.7 PP respectively.
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Texas’ defense against the TCU offense is the key here. The Horned Frogs are the far more efficient offense. The team’s shooting well from the floor and the perimeter. TCU is averaging seven more points each contest than Texas.
On the Longhorns’ side of this, they allowed 80 to Kansas in that narrow loss. Before that, Texas had five straight games allowed fewer than 70 points and ten in a row allowing fewer than 72. Since then, however, the Longhorns gave up 72 to Oklahoma in win.
TCU was shut down against Kansas State last time out with just 55 points scored. Since December 7, TCU has won seven games and scored at least 82 in each. They’ve lost three, scoring 68 against Kansas, 74 against Oklahoma and the 55 against Kansas State.
Watch how well the TCU offense is able to navigate the Texas defense early and take advantage of the live betting opportunities at BookMaker.eu accordingly.
Key Player
Noi was missing from TCU’s game against Kansas State and the offense felt it. Noi is a crucial part of the offense, particularly with Fisher missing and the Horned Frogs relying heavily on three-point shot.
In his last 12 games, Noi has scored at least nine in each game, putting up at least a dozen in four of his last six games. Without Noi, the scoring threats on the team are limited to Bane, Robinson and Fisher as Samuel doesn’t provide as much of a threat from the forward position. Not only can Noi shoot outside, he can also push towards the basket.
The main thing factor here isn’t whether Noi will be good, but rather whether he’ll be a full-go due to health. If so, it provides a completely different dynamic for the Texas defense.
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The Horned Frogs are at home and to this point, that’s meant a TCU win in Big-12 play. Look for the Horned Frogs’ offense to play much better on Wednesday after its embarrassment on Saturday afternoon. This team will be well motivated.
TCU had its most lopsided win in its history in a Big-12 matchup the last time it hosted a game. While Texas is a bit better than West Virginia, the Longhorns are still not a great team. Look for them to struggle shooting the ball and watch as the team fails to get to the free-throw line enough to take advantage of its accuracy there.
Bane and Noi should put up strong numbers and lead the team to a victory at home.
Check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for Wednesday’s college basketball action.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: TCU 77, Texas 69
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