Two of the best defensive teams in the country are set to face off.
TCU men’s basketball is kicking off a huge week this evening as they play host to Texas, looking to move to 4-2 in conference play against an incredibly tough defensive opponent.
Chris Beard’s first year at Texas is off to an up and down start. The Longhorns are 14-5, but are 0-3 against ranked opponents, 4-3 in conference, and have won just two of their last five.
Both teams are strong defensively, with both ranking inside the Top 20 for adjusted defensive efficiency (TCU #15, Texas #17), according to KenPom. The Frogs are coming off a 59-44 victory over Iowa State, while the Longhorns won a close contest at home against Oklahoma State, 56-51.
The game is televised on ESPNU, so tune in and stay here to chat as the game goes along!
NOTES
– TCU (13-3, 3-2) hosts two games this week beginning with Texas (14-5, 4-3) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.
– Jamie Dixon (TCU) and Chris Beard (Texas) are two of 44 coaches nationally who are leading their alma mater.
– TCU has held its opponents to under 60 points in four-straight games for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
– TCU received votes (six) in the AP Top 25 Poll on Monday.
– Damion Baugh is coming off a career-high 23 points and had seven steals in TCU’s win at No. 15 Iowa State Saturday. It was the third-most steals by a Horned Frog and the most in 22 seasons.
– Baugh ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 4.0 assists per game.
– 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, 15.5) and assists (fourth, 4.1). He is one of three in the Power 5 that is averaging at least 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
– Chuck O’Bannon has made a 3-pointer in eight-straight games. He’s averaging 10.0 points and is shooting a team-best 39.0 percent from three.
– Emanuel Miller leads eight TCU newcomers with 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the Big 12. Miller has four double-doubles this season and his 2.9 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 5.3 rebounds per game rank 17th in the Big 12 and his 2.9 offensive rebounds per game ranks second.
– TCU leads the Big 12 and ranks in the top fifth nationally in offensive rebounds per game (first, 15.1), offensive rebound percentage (second, 39.4%), rebounding margin (third, 14.5) and rebounds per game (fifth, 42.1).
– When outrebounding its opponent, TCU is 12-2 this season and 93-28 under Jamie Dixon.
– TCU’s adjusted defensive efficiency rating of 91.4 ranks 15th nationally and is TCU’s best number since KenPom began tracking stats in 1996-97.
– Under Dixon in Schollmaier Arena, TCU is 72-25 overall and 26-22 in Big 12 games.
LAST TIME OUT
– Junior Damion Baugh scored a career-high 23 points as TCU led throughout the game in a 59-44 win at No. 15 Iowa State on Saturday. It was the largest margin of victory over a ranked team in seven seasons by the Horned Frogs. ISU’s 44 points was its fewest ever in Hilton Coliseum.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
– Texas is coming off a 56-51 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday.
– The Longhorns’ balanced scoring effort is led by Timmy Allen’s 11.7 points per game. Allen also averages a team-best 6.5 rebounds.
– Texas fell out of the AP Top 25 this week but are third in “others receiving votes” with 61.
SERIES HISTORY
– Texas leads the all-time series 116-68 and has won the last five.
– TCU’s last win in the series was a 69-65 win on March 9, 2019 in Austin behind a career-high 34 points from Desmond Bane.
– TCU’s last win in Fort Worth was a 65-61 win on Jan. 23, 2019.
UP NEXT
– TCU will host No. 19 LSU on Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN2 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.