Men's Basketball: TCU Opens Conference Play Against Texas Tech
The TCU men’s basketball team begins Big 12 Conference play against Texas Tech on Saturday, December 31. The game will be televised on ESPNU at 11am.
Texas Tech holds a 14-6 series lead since TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012-13 and an 86-53 edge overall. Each team won the home game last year.
The No. 18 Horned Frogs enter the match up with a 11-1 record and have won nine straight games. TCU’s latest triumph came on Wednesday in a 103-57 beatdown of Central Arkansas. It was the largest margin of victory under head coach Jamie Dixon.
TCU shot 52% from the field while holding the Sugar Bears to 29%. Junior guard Mike Miles led all scorers with 21 points while senior forward Emanuel Miller had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Miles, the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, averages 18.1 points per game and needs 22 points to reach 1,000 career points. He would become the 39th player in program history to reach the mark after Desmond Bane in 2019.
Miller and senior guard Damion Baugh also put up over 10 points per game. Miller adds six rebounds per game, second on the team behind Eddie Lampkin’s 7.3 boards.
Junior guard Micah Peavy missed the Central Arkansas game with an ankle injury. Missing key players is nothing new for the Horned Frogs this season. Injuries, a suspension, and illnesses forced TCU to use seven starting lineups in the first seven games.
The Horned Frogs hit full strength in time for a win over defending Big East champion Providence on Nov. 30. TCU’s other notable non-conference victory came against Utah, 75-71, on Dec. 21. Staying at or near full strength will be key to competing for a top spot in the Big 12.
Texas Tech (10-2) beat South Carolina State 110-71 earlier this week. Senior forward Kevin Obanor scored 24 points while redshirt sophomore Daniel Batcho added 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. All five starters, who are each averaging 10 or more points per game, hit double-digits and played 26 minutes or less.
The win also marked the Red Raiders’ third consecutive 100-point outing.
Obanor usually spearheads the conference’s second-best scoring attack (81 points). He averages 16.6 points per game on 54% shooting and ranks second on the team in rebounding. Batcho chips in 13.3 points, a team-high 8.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per contest.
Texas Tech, a historically stout defensive team, allows 62 points per game on 39.6% shooting and has a +19.3-scoring margin. The Horned Frogs’ defense is producing an almost identical stat line (38.6% shooting, 61.3 points allowed, +17.8 margin).
Those numbers might come down during Big 12 play, as both teams non-conference schedules rank in 300s out of 363 teams, according to Kenpom.com.
The Red Raiders missed out on potential marquee non-conference wins at the Maui Jim Invitational, falling to No. 10 Creighton, 76-65, and Ohio State, 80-73.
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