TCU Men's Basketball Preview: West Virginia
TCU is back in Fort Worth to take on West Virginia just two days after a disappointing loss at Iowa State. The Horned Frogs sit at 16-7 overall and 5-5 in the Big 12, while West Virginia is 8-15 and 3-7 in conference play.
Plainly speaking, this is the easiest game on TCU's Big 12 schedule. KenPom.com ranks the Mountaineers at the bottom of the conference by a fairly comfortable margin, and the Horned Frogs get to play them at home. West Virginia has not won a single game on the road all season. It's as close to an "easy win" as you will get in the Big 12, but if TCU expects to waltz into the Schollmaier and walk back out with a guaranteed win, it is mistaken. Here are the keys to a victory for Jamie Dixon and his Horned Frogs.
Make West Virginia Turn the Ball Over
The Mountaineers rank towards the bottom of the conference in turnover percentage. West Virginia guard and TCU fan favorite Kerr Krissa turns the ball over three times per game. The Frogs have perimeter defending pieces in Micah Peavy, Avery Anderson III, and Jameer Nelson Jr. that can make West Virginia guards uncomfortable. TCU's best offense is in the fast break, and the best way to generate a fast break is to force turnovers. The best offense is defense. If they can orchestrate chaos and force turnovers, the Horned Frogs can force the Mountaineers to play a fast-paced style of basketball, which they are not comfortable doing.
Limit the Big Man
West Virginia center Jesse Edwards has been playing the best basketball of his season over the last few weeks. On the season, he is averaging 15 points per game, eight rebounds per game, and 1.7 blocks per game. After missing a chunk of time due to injury, Edwards returned to action on Jan. 27 against Oklahoma State and scored just four points in 16 minutes. In the three games since then, Edwards has averaged 19.3 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game, and 2.3 blocks per game. His best effort in that stretch came against Cincinnati when he recorded 25 points, ten rebounds, four blocks, and 29 minutes.
The Horned Frogs have struggled to contain good big men all season. They're going to have to go against West Virginia, or Edwards is going to have a chance to change the game.
Make Your Threes
TCU shot 29% (5-17) from three in its loss to Iowa State on Saturday. Sharpshooter Tre Tennyson was 1-6 from long range. In TCU's most recent win (Texas Tech), the team shot 55% from three (11-20). Tennyson led the Frogs in scoring with 23 points and went 4-8 from three. Peavy added 18 points and went 4-4 from three. These are two perfect examples. It sounds obvious, but TCU is a significantly more effective team when it knocks down shots. A Tennyson bounce back is not necessary to clinch a victory, but it would help. When he is on, the Horned Frogs are a completely different basketball team.
How to Watch, Listen, and Stream: TCU vs. West Virginia
- Tipoff - 7 p.m. CT, Monday, February 12
- Television - Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with James Westling and Bryndon Manzer
- Radio - AM 570 KLIF with Brian Estridge and Collin Boddicker (also available on Sirius XM Channel 81, HFTV, TuneIn, and Varsity)
- Live Stream - fuboTV (Start your free trial)
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