TCU to Meet Texas in First Round of Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament

Special to RattleandHumSports.com

TCU makes its inaugural appearance at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship on Wednesday when it faces No. 7 seed Texas at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The Big 12 Network will televise the game live with an 8:30 p.m. tip-off.

The Horned Frogs (11-20 overall; 2-16 Big 12) enter the conference tournament as the bracket’s No. 10 seed. The squad has played some of its best basketball in the last week, including posting a 70-67 home win over Oklahoma in the regular-season finale to stop an eight-game skid. Prior to the win, the Frogs provided No. 9 Kansas State with a test last Tuesday in Manhattan, Kan., before falling by a 79-68 count.

Texas (15-16 overall; 7-11 Big 12) also enters this week’s tourney playing well, having climbed up to seventh in the final Big 12 standings thanks to four wins in its last six contests. The winner of Wednesday’s first-round game will advance to face second-seeded K-State in Thursday’s quarterfinals at 6 p.m.

The Big 12 Network will televise the contest live on a regional basis on TXA-21 in the DFW area. Viewers located inside the Big 12 footprint but outside the Metroplex should check local listings for a carrier in their area. The contest will also be offered on ESPN3 to qualified cable subscribers and on a pay-per-view basis via ESPN Full Court. Dave Armstrong (play-by-play) and Reid Gettys (color) will serve as the TV talent.

Brian Estridge (pxp) and John Denton (analyst) will handle the TCU-IMG Sports Network radio broadcast, which will air live in the DFW Metroplex on both 570 KLIF AM and 88.7 FM KTCU. Live stats will be available for free via GameTracker at GoFrogs.com, while a live stream of the radio broadcast will be offered online for FrogVision subscribers.
FROG QUICK NOTES
* TCU and Texas have met twice previously in postseason play. UT won both contests during Southwest Conference Tournaments in 1989 (93-89, ot) and 1994 (96-75).

* TCU’s overall field-goal percentage over the last two games was 52.1%. Prior to the past week, its top figure in Big 12 play was 45.7% (Feb. 19 vs. Texas). The squad was a combined 14-of-27 (51.9%) on 3-point tries in the last two contests.

* TCU has either won or matched the opponent for the rebounding battle in seven of its last nine games after doing so only three times in its first nine Big 12 contests.

* Kyan Anderson has scored in double figures in each of the last nine contests, the longest streak of his career and the best by a Frog since Zvonko Buljan went 11 straight in 2009-10.

* Anderson is averaging 14.7 ppg during his recent hot streak and has made 2.7 3’s per contest.

* Anderson is among the Big 12 leaders in minutes played (No. 3), steals (No. 6), assists (No. 8), 3-pointers (No. 9), 3-point field-goal percentage (No. 10), assist/turnover ratio (No. 10) and scoring (No. 14).

* Devonta Abron has averaged 12.7 ppg and a team-high 7.6 rpg during the past five contests while scoring in double figures four times.

* TCU ranks No. 3 in the Big 12 and No. 56 in the NCAA in scoring defense (62.3 ppg). The squad is No. 83 nationally in fewest 3-pointers allowed (153).

* TCU’s scoring defense average is nearly 10 ppg fewer per game than last season’s final figure (72.1 ppg) and would be the Frogs’ lowest since 1985-86 (58.7 ppg).

* TCU joined Baylor as the only teams with three players among the Big 12’s top-12 rebounders in conference play: Adrick McKinney (No. 9; 6.2 rpg), Abron (No. 11; 5.9 rpg) and Connell Crossland (No. 12; 5.8 rpg).

* TCU attempted 69 more free throws in Big 12 play than its opponents, an average margin of +3.8 pg. It took more attempts than the opponent in 11 of 18 conference games.

* TCU is 11-1 in when outshooting the opponent and 0-19 when shooting at a lower rate. The squad is 8-3 when shooting at least 45.0% overall and 8-1 when leading at the half.