TCU will be short-handed against No. 2 Baylor. How Jamie Dixon is preparing for it.
TCU will be short-handed at point guard when it hosts No. 2 Baylor on Saturday.
Freshman Francisco Farabello (concussion) will miss his second straight game, coach Jamie Dixon said. Sophomore RJ Nembhard (groin) is questionable.
TCU played without Farabello and Nembhard during Tuesday’s 65-59 loss at Iowa State. It was the first game this season that TCU had multiple players sidelined with injuries.
TCU (15-13, 6-9 Big 12) is hopeful that Nembhard is able to return. Dixon said there is no structural damage and it’ll be a pain management decision for Nembhard come game time.
Nembhard is TCU’s second-leading scorer with 12.2 points and has emerged as the top point guard option in recent weeks.
Farabello has been a valuable piece off the bench, averaging 4.1 points in 21.3 minutes. He sustained a concussion in the first half against West Virginia last Saturday, and did not make the trip to Iowa State.
Farabello remains in concussion protocol and Dixon did not believe he’d be ready by Saturday.
With Nembhard and Farabello sidelined for the Iowa State game, TCU senior guard Edric Dennis played a season-high in minutes. Dennis finished with 10 points on 3 of 12 shooting with five turnovers and one assist.
Dixon has been pleased with the energy and effort Dennis has brought on a daily basis, but would like to see him improve in creating shots for others and shot selection.
As a general rule, Dixon likes his point guards to average a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Dennis hasn’t done that since the Big 12 opener against Iowa State on Jan. 4 when he had five assists and two turnovers.
Dixon also would like his point guard to shoot 50% from the field, a mark Dennis has reached three times (against USC on Dec. 6, against Lamar on Dec. 14 and against George Mason on Dec. 30).
“We’ve really got to get him focused more on getting other guys shots,” Dixon said. “That’s been an adjustment for him. We knew that going in. He does it at times and then goes back.
“But his energy is always there. He plays hard. He’s physical and can make open shots.”
Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday at Schollmaier Arena.
Academic honors
The Big 12 announced it’s All-Big 12 academic teams on Thursday, and a couple TCU players were honored.
Sophomore Dylan Arnette earned first-team honors (given to players with a 3.2 GPA or better), and junior Owen Aschieris was named to the second team (given to players with a 3.0 to 3.19 GPA).
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 2:03 PM.
