Big 12 Basketball: 2020-21 power rankings heading into New Year
8-2. . Horned Frogs . 8. team. 466.
The 8-2 overall record looks good and they do have wins over Oklahoma State and Tulsa to boast about. Yet the Horned Frogs have been in close calls in nearly every single game this season, including several where it should’ve been blowouts. That includes tight contests against the likes of Northwestern State, Prairie View A&M, Liberty, and North Dakota State.
Against the two best opponents (Providence and Oklahoma), TCU lost. So from a Bracketology standpoint, they’ll have plenty of work to do in the next couple of months. With seven of the next eight games coming against ranked opponents, they’ll have their chance.
As expected, the team’s junior duo of RJ Nembhard (18.4 ppg and 4.9 apg) and Kevin Samuel (10.8 ppg and 10.2 rpg) have been as good as advertised. But there was a big question as to how TCU was going to replace the massive production left by former All-Big 12 guard Desmond Bane. That has already been answered by Mike Miles, a three-star freshman prospect that is averaging 15.2 ppg and 3.2 apg through 10 games.
The 6’1 guard already has a trio of 20+ point efforts, including against both Providence and Oklahoma. Not only can Miles score at a high level, but he can also do so efficiently. The freshman has made 46% of his three-point attempts, along with 80% from the charity stripe. While TCU could use more from the rest of the cast as the competition heats up, Miles has been one of the more pleasant surprises through the non-conference.