Preview: TCU

Photo Attribution: USATSI

Vitals

Tip: 6:00 PM CST
Location: Ft. Worth, TX
TV: ESPNU
Online Stream: here
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network
Online radio: here
Announcers: Mitch Holthus and Matt Doherty
Line: Cowboys -14.5

Records

Cowboys – 20-6 (10-4)
Frogs – 10-17 (1-13)

Best win

Cowboys – Kansas (KenPom: #9)
Frogs – Kansas (KenPom: #9)

Worst loss

Cowboys – Virginia Tech (KenPom: #158)
Frogs – Texas Tech (KenPom: #247)

KenPom rank

Cowboys – #14
Fightin’ Holgys – #282

Data nerds

[table id=100 /]

Adj. efficiency – Points per 100 possessions (adjusted for quality of opponent and site of game).
Adj. tempo – Possessions per game (adjusted for schedule and pace of other team).
Effective FG % – Takes into account extra value of 3s.

Three things to watch

1. This

2. This

3. This

In all seriousness though, the only thing that can derail OSU from its fifth straight road win is to let TCU hang around early. It’s almost difficult to lose straight up with the talent disparity but, just as we saw with Kansas, when even the thought that you could be beaten by one of the worst teams in the nation enters your head, you tighten up and embarrass yourself.

Six teams have won one or fewer games since the Big 12 started and TCU is vying pretty hard to make it an easy seventh. Hopefully they’ve already got their only “how did that happen” event out of their system and OSU cruises to Big 12 win #11.

Last time

The last time OSU played TCU, the Pokes won 66-49 and it wasn’t that close.

Fun props

Marcus Smart over/under 14.5 points
Marcus Smart over/under 9.5 combined rebounds and assists
Markel Brown over/under 1.5 three-pointers made
Le’Bryan Nash over/under 12.5 points
Phil Forte over/under 2.5 three-pointers made[1. Rummages through files to find mortgage…bets under…again].

Prediction

Porter: Pokes – 80-58
KenPom: Cowboys – 66-49