The Frogs look to bounce back.
Tuesday was disappointing, there’s no way around that. With that loss in the rearview mirror, though, the Frogs have a chance to bounce back in the Big 12/SEC Challenge today against #19 LSU.
The Tigers come to Fort Worth boasting a 16-4 record, but have lost three of their last four, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 70-64 win over Texas A&M in Baton Rouge last Wednesday.
LSU also had an injury scare Wednesday, when leading scorer Tari Eason appeared to go down with an injury in the second half that turned out to be cramps. The reserve forward is averaging 15.9 points per game off the bench, and is available for today’s game.
TCU meanwhile is working to get guard Mike Miles back on track. Over the past five contests Miles is averaging just 10.4 points per game on a rough 27.4% shooting from the floor (22.7%) from three.
The Frogs have managed a 3-2 record in those five games thanks to big games from Damion Baugh, Micah Peavy, and Emanuel Miller, but TCU desperately needs Miles to get right for the back half of Big 12 play.
The Frogs are also looking to get back on track with rebounding. They lost the battle on the boards to Texas by 10, something this team is not accustomed to doing as one of the best rebounding teams in the nation.
LSU is not the best rebounding team, so TCU needs to take advantage of that today.
All in all, today is a great chance for TCU to get a win against a ranked opponent, help prove the Big 12’s superiority, and get back on track after a tough loss earlier this week.
Tune in to ESPN 2 at 11am to watch the game, and keep it here to join in the commentary as the game goes along.
NOTES
– TCU (13-4, 3-3 Big 12) hosts No. 19 LSU (16-4, 4-4) in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.
– TCU is 4-4 all-time in the Big 12/SEC Challenge with wins over Florida, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
– TCU’s last home game against an SEC team was a 55-50 win over Florida on Jan. 26, 2019, also at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.
– TCU is 1-1 against Top 25 teams this season.
– TCU has the third toughest remaining schedule nationally.
– Prior to the Texas game, TCU held its opponents to under 60 points for four-straight games for the first time since 2014-15.
– TCU received votes (six) in the AP Top 25 Poll on Monday.
– TCU’s 13 turnovers against Texas was its fewest in eight games.
– Damion Baugh ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 4.0 assists per game. He had 23 points and seven steals at No. 16 Iowa State.
– Preseason All-Big 12 guard Mike Miles Jr. is the only player that ranks in the top five in the Big 12 in scoring (fifth, 15.4) and assists (fourth, 4.1). He is one of four in the Power 5 that is averaging at least 15.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
– Chuck O’Bannon Jr. is third on the team in scoring with 9.5 points per game and is shooting a team-best 37.7 percent from three.
– Emanuel Miller leads eight TCU newcomers with 10.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the Big 12. Miller has four double-doubles this season and his 2.7 offensive rebounds per ranks third in the Big 12.
– Micah Peavy has been the biggest defensive presence for the Frogs this season. His defensive points per possession is .5, which ranks in the top percentile nationally.
– Eddie Lampkin Jr. has two double-doubles this season. His 5.5 rebounds per game rank 17th in the Big 12 and his 3.1 offensive rebounds per game ranks second.
– TCU leads the Big 12 and ranks in the top 10 nationally in rebounding margin (third, 9.9), offensive rebound percentage (fourth, 38.6%), offensive rebounds per game (sixth, 14.2) and rebounds per game (10th, 41.5).
– When outrebounding its opponent, TCU is 12-2 this season and 93-28 under Jamie Dixon. This season, TCU has been outrebounded just three times.
– TCU’s adjusted defensive efficiency rating of 91.6 ranks 15th nationally and is TCU’s best number since KenPom began tracking stats in 1996-97.
– Under Dixon in Schollmaier Arena, TCU is 72-26 overall and 48-4 against nonconference opponents.
LAST TIME OUT
– With a record crowd of 8,412 on hand at Schollmaier Arena, TCU fell to Texas, 73-50, on Tuesday.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
– LSU snapped a three-game losing streak with a 70-64 win over Texas A&M on Wednesday.
– The Tigers are led by Tari Eason’s 15.9 points per game.
– LSU is one of the top defensive teams in the nation and ranks first in field goal defense (35.9) defensive efficiency (81.4), first in steals (11.4) and seventh in 3-point defense (26.9).
SERIES HISTORY
– LSU leads the all-time series 3-1.
– It is the first meeting since an 83-74 win by the Horned Frogs in Baton Rouge on Nov. 21, 1986 in the Coca-Cola NIT.
– LSU last played at TCU on Dec. 17, 1960 and won the game, 68-62.
UP NEXT
– TCU will play at Oklahoma on Monday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.