TCU
Houston
Preview: No. 2 Houston
1/11/2024 8:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Horned Frogs will host old Southwest Conference foe at 5 p.m. on Saturday
FORT WORTH - TCU will face its third of three-straight top 10 teams when it hosts No. 2 Houston Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPN.
NOTES
- TCU is 8-0 at home. The Frogs were unbeaten at home in the nonconference for the third time under Jamie Dixon.
- TCU's three losses are all to teams ranked in the top 30 of the NET.
- TCU last played three-straight top 10 teams two seasons ago. The Frogs defeated No. 9 Texas Tech on Feb. 26, 2022 and beat No. 6 Kansas on March 1 before falling two days later to the Jayhawks in Lawrence on March 3.
- The back-to-back wins over Texas Tech and Kansas is the only time in program history that TCU has won consecutive games over AP Top 10 teams. The Frogs could do that a second time with a win on Saturday.
- TCU is 7-4 against AP Top 25 teams at home in the past two seasons.
- Of TCU's 34 wins over AP Top 25 teams in its history, 20 have come under Dixon.
- TCU last win over a No. 1 or 2 ranked team came last season, 83-60, at No. 2 Kansas on Jan. 21, 2024.
- TCU last beat a No. 1 or 2 ranked team at home on Feb. 29, 2020, 75-72, over No. 2 Baylor.
- TCU has a scoring margin of 17.2, which ranks fifth nationally.
- Emanuel Miller leads the team and ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 17.0 points per game.
- Miller has reached 20 points in four of the last six games including 27 on Wednesday vs. No. 9 Oklahoma.
- Miller is also the team leader in rebounds with 6.1 per game, which ranks 14th in the Big 12.
- Jameer Nelson Jr. ranks second in the Big 12 and 10th nationally with 2.6 steals per game.
- Nelson is one of 12 players nationally that is averaging at least 11.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
- TCU leads the nation with 23.8 fastbreak points per game. No other team averages 20.
- TCU ranks fourth nationally in average possession length at 14.5 seconds per offensive possession.
- TCU ranks third in the Big 12 and eighth nationally with 10.8 steals per game.
- TCU ranks third in the Big 12 and 12th nationally with 16.8 turnovers forced per game.
- The Frogs have forced 13 or more turnovers in all but one game (Nevada) this season.
- TCU ranks third in the Big 12 and eighth nationally in assists with 18.9 per game
- TCU ranks third in the Big 12 and 15th nationally with 85.1 points per game.
- TCU ranks third in the Big 12 and 11th nationally with a turnover margin of +4.5.
- TCU ranks fifth in the Big 12 and 21st nationally in field goal percentage at 49.3 percent.
- Under Dixon in Schollmaier Arena, TCU is 98-34 overall and 35-29 in Big 12 games.
LAST TIME OUT
- Emanuel Miller's 27 points led TCU to an 80-71 win over No. 9 Oklahoma on Wednesday.
- The Horned Frogs finished with a season-low seven turnovers and forced the Sooners into 14.
- Avery Anderson III tied a season-high with 15 points and led the team with five assists.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
- Houston is coming off its first loss of the season, 57-53, at Iowa State on Tuesday.
- The Cougars are led in scoring by Baylor transfer LJ Cryer, who is averaging 16.3 points per game.
- Houston is the top defensive team in the nation, ranking No. 1 by KenPom for efficiency and No. 1 in the NCAA in scoring defense (50.3) and field goal percentage defense (34.6). UH also leads in scoring margin (25.0) and turnover margin (+8.0).
SERIES HISTORY
- Houston leads the all-time series, 48-25. TCU leads the series in Fort Worth, 18-14.
- It is the first meeting between the two programs since Dec. 4, 2012, a 54-48 win by Houston in Fort Worth.
- Houston and TCU met regularly from 1972-1996 as members of the Southwest Conference.
- It will be the first time Jamie Dixon will face Houston as a head coach. Dixon faced the Cougars as a player at TCU in the Southwest Conference and his teams went 3-5.
UP NEXT
- TCU will play at Cincinnati at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
