Big 12 Basketball: 2019-20 power rankings heading into conference play

Senior guard Desmond Bane has been terrific for TCU this season, just as he has been each of the last two. Outside of Bane and sophomore big man Kevin Samuel, nobody on the roster has really stepped up to help elevate the Horned Frogs into the middle of the pack in the Big 12.

TCU’s strength this season has definitely been their pesky defense which is in the Top-10 in the nation in steal percentage according to prophetratings.com. Samuel has also been a terrific rim protector, averaging 2.4 blocks per game. When the defense is locked in, TCU can really make it difficult on their opponent. They haven’t been able to consistently score on the other end of the floor, however, especially against quality opponents.

The discrepancy between the offense and defense was in full display in a loss to Xavier towards the end of December. The Horned Frogs forced 19 turnovers in that game, but they only shot 32.8% from the field in an 8-point loss. RJ Nembhard was 2-11 shooting in that contest, and he has struggled to score efficiently all year. Though he is a capable facilitator, TCU desperately needs him to improve on his shooting, especially from three-point range where he is only 22.4%.

When Desmond Bane is at the top of his game, he is capable of carrying the offense on his own. In their last game, TCU dismantled George Mason with Bane putting on a brilliant performance. He shot 12 of 16, putting up 30 points, six boards, and four assists. Obviously, you can’t count on that type of efficiency every night, but he is a terrific player who can take over a game.

With Bane and a tough defense, TCU is capable of giving higher-ranked teams some trouble, but they don’t seem likely to climb far up these rankings without another consistent scorer. The odds of TCU making enough noise to get into the conversation on Selection Sunday seem slim.