No.11 TCU looking to continue winning ways against Oklahoma
No. 11 TCU’s men’s basketball team is coming off one of its biggest wins in program history, an 83-60 blowout victory over a then No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks.
The victory improved the Horned Frogs record to 4-2 against ranked opponents this season and was TCU’s first victory at Allen Fieldhouse, breaking an 11-game losing streak. TCU now stands at 15-4. After a season-defining win, TCU head coach Jamie Dixon knows his team will have to come prepared to avoid a letdown similar to their loss against West Virginia.
“We’ve had that discussion, I think we just have to handle the moment,”
On Tuesday, TCU will look to continue its winning ways when it hosts the Oklahoma Sooners at Schollmaier Arena.
Here are three things to watch as TCU prepares for Oklahoma.
Three-point battle
TCU has been the worst three-point shooting team in the Big 12 this season. The Horned Frogs make 29% of their three’s this season.
Individually TCU has only one player, senior forward Emmanuel Miller, shooting above 32%. The Horned Frogs’ lack of shooting prowess has been a factor in most of their losses this season with the team shooting 25% from three in losses.
Defensively, The Horned Frogs are ranked fourth in Big 12 three-point percentage defense only allowing opponents to shoot 30%.
The Sooners are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the Big 12 on both ends of the court. They have the third-best percentage at defending and making three-point attempts. The Sooners only allow opponents to make 29% of their threes, which could cause problems for a TCU team that already struggles to make long-distance shots.
The Sooners make 36% of their threes as a team and boast four players shooting 39% or better led by star guard Grant Sherfield’s 44%.
TCU feels prepared for the challenges Oklahoma’s offense presents.
“We have one of the best defenses in the country you know, so hopefully we can have a really exciting night on Tuesday.” said senior forward Chuck O’Bannon Jr.
“They [Oklahoma] are very good, I wanna say their point guard is shooting about 50% from three which is extremely rare and very tough to do so we’re gonna have to key in on him very early and hope for the best outcome,”
Neither team launches many threes, so how well they’re defended will be crucial.
Another marquee matchup
Fresh off defending potential Big 12 player of the year Jalen Wilson, TCU now has to contend with Grant Sherfield. Sherfield struggled in his latest game; scoring 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting with four turnovers in a loss against Baylor.
Sherfield is the sixth-highest scorer in the Big 12, averaging 17 points per game. Sherfield is a three-point specialist with the ability to shoot off the dribble, screen or spot up depending on the defense. For TCU to be effective they’ll have to run him off the three-point line and force him to make layups over their shot blockers.
In TCU’s victory over Kansas, Mike Miles Jr. went 5-of-11 for 15 points with two assists and shot 2-of-3 from three-point range. Miles Jr, the preseason Big 12 player of the year has been living up to that moniker ranking second in points while also being top ten in assists per game in the Big 12.
Miles Jr will look to lead the scoring attack against a stingy Oklahoma defense while helping to slow down Sherfield on the defensive end.
Win the Turnover Battle
One area where the Horned Frogs should be able to take advantage is the turnover battle.
The Sooners are an average team when it comes to taking care of the ball, but they struggle to create baskets for each other and as a result, are the third-to-last team in assist-to-turnover ratio in the Big 12.
Oklahoma also has issues forcing opponent turnovers ranking dead last in the Big 12 and are the only team to force less than 200 turnovers this season.
TCU has done an excellent job taking care of the ball this season which has manifested in the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the Big 12.
TCU also excels at forcing opponent turnovers trailing only Iowa State for the conference lead, and their ability to create turnovers is a big reason why TCU leads the nation in fastbreak points.
“Defense lead to offense you know, can’t do nothing without the ball, so if we stop them from scoring we can score and I just feel like when we get out and run we’re the best team in the country,” said senior guard Damion Baugh.
If TCU forces Oklahoma into making mistakes it could be a long day in Fort Worth for the Sooners.
This story was originally published January 23, 2023 at 3:31 PM.
