TCU vs Oklahoma: 2017-18 college basketball preview, TV, prediction
Big 12 basketball is kicking off New Year’s weekend with some excellent games. TCU and Oklahoma will face off in a battle of ranked opponents.
When: Saturday, Dec. 30th at 2:00 p.m. ET
TV Schedule: ESPN2
Location: Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, TX.
Coming into this game, the Oklahoma Sooners are ranked No. 12 in the nation. Their bump up in the rankings stemmed from two wins, one over a decent Big Ten foe in Northwestern. Their only loss came on Thanksgiving to an Arkansas team that has their fair share of good wins this season.
In Oklahoma’s current eight-game winning streak, two of their victories have come against ranked opponents. Most notably, they defeated the then-No. 3 Wichita State. It is not as if Oklahoma has played a cupcake-like schedule to reach their current record of 10-1.
Trae Young has paced this team in their success and his performance on the floor has been well documented by basketball pundits. Currently, Young is averaging 28.7 points and 10.4 assists per game, absolutely ridiculous clips. Perhaps more impressive is the fact that the freshman is shooting 48.5% from the field and 41.1% from three. Percentages like that for a guard who is averaging nearly 29 points a game is astounding.
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Oklahoma has also seen an emergence from junior Christian James, who has nearly doubled his points per game average from last season. Not only that, James is shooting 51% from the field compared to 36% in 2016-’17. Khadeem Lattin is also part of Lon Kruger‘s core as he piles up nearly nine points and eight rebounds every game.
As for No. 10 TCU, they have clearly had a program rejuvenation since hiring Jamie Dixon. This is the first time in school history that they have been ranked in the top-10 nationally. In 2016-17, the Horned Frogs posted their first 20-win season 2000-01 when they were still a member of the WAC. The next step for Dixon is to earn an NCAA Tournament berth. It would be the school’s first since 1997-98. It seems the team is on the right path to making that a reality this season too.
Outside of wins over SMU and Nevada, there really is not a whole lot to TCU’s resume. That is not to say they are a fluke of a team because that would be an extremely misguided opinion. However, with a gauntlet of a Big 12 schedule awaiting them, we will find out very quickly if they are for real.
Unlike Trae Young and Oklahoma, the Horned Frogs opt for a more balanced attack offensively. They currently feature five players averaging 11 or more points per game. Senior forward Kenrich Williams leads the team by averaging 14 points and nine rebounds per contest. The Slovakian born Vladimir Brodziansky is not far behind Williams, averaging 13.5 points per game on 67% shooting.
While both team’s feature fun, fast-paced offenses, their defenses lag behind a bit. Both TCU and Oklahoma give up over 70 points per game, which may not matter in this game but will come into play against other Big 12 opponents. What this game comes down to for me is who wins the point guard battle.
We know how good Trae Young is, but can the Horned Frogs’ Jaylen Fisher contain Young enough to stifle Oklahoma’s offense? That is where this game will be decided, on whether or not Fisher can limit Young’s attacking and facilitating ability. He will not be able to do it himself, so expect plenty of double teams on screens from TCU.
Next: Big 12 Power rankings before conference play
In the end, this may turn into who can get 85 points first and make a timely stop down the stretch. Expect a shootout, which will make for an extremely fun game to watch. However, if I had to pick one of the two offenses, it has to be the Sooners. This is simply due to the presence of Trae Young on their roster. He is the runaway Player of the Year right now and I expect a statement to be made by Oklahoma in this game.
Prediction: Oklahoma 87, TCU 82