Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament TCU vs. Houston Preview
Here is everything you need to know about TCU and Houston in our Horned Frogs vs. Cougars Big 12 Tournament men’s basketball quarterfinal preview.
Game 8: No. 8 TCU (21-11) vs. No. 1 Houston (28-3, 15-3)
Time, TV: 2 p.m. CT Wednesday, ESPN
Location: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Season series (TCU 1-0): TCU 68, Houston 67 (at Fort Worth, Texas).
Big 12 Tournament Results: TCU: def. Oklahoma, 77-70 (second round); Houston: Tournament opener.
Winner: Advances to the Big 12 semifinals on Friday at 6 p.m. vs. the winner of Game 7.
Here is the full Big 12 men’s tournament schedule and results.
Projected starting lineups
TCU: F Emanuel Miller, F Chuck O’Bannon, F Ernest Udeh Jr., G Micah Peavy, G Jameer Nelson Jr.
Houston: G Jamal Shead, G L.J. Cryer, F Javier Francis, F J’Wan Roberts, G Emanuel Sharp.
Players to watch
TCU
F Emanuel Miller
Miller is coming off a huge game against Oklahoma as he scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He’s been that consistent frontcourt force for the Horned Frogs all season and it’s a good reason why he was named All-Big 12 Second Team. But if you rewind back to TCU’s matchup with Houston in January, he was vital that day, too. He had 13 points, three rebounds and five assists. It was also Miller’s lay-up with six seconds left that won the game. His season averages are great — 16 points and 5.8 rebounds. But Houston forgets what Miller did to them in early January at its own peril.
Houston
G Jamal Shead
I mean what else is there to say about this guy? The Big 12 Coaches, the Associated Press and Heartland College Sports named him the Big 12 Player of the Year after he led the Cougars to the Big 12 crown and averaged 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists for the No. 1 team in the country. He even threw in 2.3 steals per game to earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors. Remember a few years ago when video of him picking up after his own team after a game against Alabama went viral? You can’t say he didn’t put in the work.
Key storylines
TCU
The Horned Frogs definitely bolstered their NCAA Tournament credentials with their win over Oklahoma on Wednesday. Entering the game TCU was listed in the Last Four Byes on Joe Lunardi’s ESPN bracketology update, which equated to TCU being a No. 10 seed. The win may not move the Horned Frogs up a seed line, but it should give them some extra cushion, as Lunardi also listed the TCU-OU game as a “Win and In” game. So, by that definition, the Horned Frogs should be dancing come Sunday. Of course, Lunardi isn’t the NCAA Tournament committee, but Big 12 teams with 20 or more wins are rarely left out of the dance. And, the Horned Frogs have a win over the nation’s No. 1 team to lean on — Houston.
Houston
Everyone knew Houston would be good coming into its first season in the Big 12. But after an undefeated non-conference the Cougars got a rude introduction to life on the road in the Big 12. Back-to-back losses at Iowa State and at TCU after a league-opening win at home put the Cougars at 1-2 in Big 12 play. So what did Houston do? The Cougars won 14 of their final 15 Big 12 games, with only a loss to Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse along the way. The Cougars slid into the No. 1 spot in the AP poll three weeks ago and there may not be a team in the country playing better basketball. In a season dominated by parity in this league, the Cougars actually dominated the league. Coach Kelvin Sampson has an incredible career. The only thing he doesn’t have is a national title. It’s not hyperbole to say this team could get him there.
Prediction
Houston 75, TCU 69. I told our Pete Mundo that TCU isn’t a great matchup for Houston and I still believe that. But my eyes have seen Houston win 14 of its last 15 and even though TCU matches up well, I think Houston advances. But both play at such a fast pace that it should be fun.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
