Getting to know TCU, which has struggled offensively and on the road
TCU hasn’t done too well away from home this season, and coach Trent Johnson’s Horned Frogs will have an annoyed bunch of Jayhawks waiting for them at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, after No. 1 Kansas lost at West Virginia earlier this week.
TCU (9-7 overall, 1-3 Big 12) won at Bradley, 53-49, in December. However, the Frogs got flattened in their other 3 road tests:
– 92-67 loss at Washington
– 69-48 loss at Oklahoma State
– 82-54 loss at No. 22 Baylor
Ranked 148th in the nation by kenpom.com, TCU is the worst team in the Big 12, according to college hoops’ math wizard. (Oklahoma State ranks 85th and the rest of the league falls in the top 60, including No. 2 Kansas, No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 5 West Virginia.)
Kenpom.com ranks TCU’s adjusted offensive efficiency 258th in the country, so as long as the Jayhawks — who are limiting Big 12 foes to 38.8% shooting — have regrouped from their poor showing at WVU, it’s hard to imagine the Horned Frogs ending KU’s 32-game home winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse.
Here are the TCU players Kansas (14-2, 3-1) will have to hold in check.
TCU STARTERS
No. 1 — G Chauncey Collins | 6-0, 180, soph.
• Sophomore guard Chauncey Collins averages 11.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in road games — which are slightly better numbers than his 9.9 points and 3.0 rebounds on the season.
• Collins set a career high with 20 points against West Virginia, and has produced double-digit scoring outings in 5 of his last 6 games.
• TCU’s best free-throw shooter, Collins (81.7% at the line) has drained 17 straight.
• Collins has led TCU in assists 5 times this season, but has more turnovers (11) than assists (10) in Big 12 play — a stretch in which he has taken the most shots for TCU, hitting 38.2% and scoring 12.3 points.
• Tied for the team lead with 24 made 3-pointers, Collins is shooting 35.8% from long range.
No. 32 — F Karviar Shepherd | 6-10, 230, jr.
photo by: Nick Krug
• Left unchecked, junior big man Karviar Shepherd (9.1 points, 6.5 rebounds) is capable of doing major damage on the boards. He pulled down 19 rebounds vs. Delaware State.
• One of TCU’s captains, Shepherd leads the team with 1.9 offensive rebounds a game.
• Shepherd sometimes drifts away from the paint (see: 5 of 12 from 3-point range), thus hurting his shooting percentage (41.1% from the floor).
• Leads the team with 19 blocks; a 67.3% free-throw shooter.
No. 11 — G Brandon Parrish | 6-6, 210, jr.
Brandon Parrish returns for #TCUMBB in 2015-16. Check out some of his highlights: http://t.co/rqdLnd4xd4 #Big12MBB pic.twitter.com/frNsiZ8s7H
— TCU Basketball (@TCUBasketball) September 4, 2015
• One of the Big 12’s better 3-point shooters, junior Brandon Parrish (8.3 points) has made 52% of his attempts from long distance (24 of 46) this season.
• Parrish led the Frogs with 15 points in their upset home win over Texas, when he nailed 5 of 6 from beyond the arc.
• A reliable scorer in crunch time, too, Parrish has made 8 of 13 attempts in the final five minutes of games.
• Surprisingly, Parrish only shoots 56.7% from the free-throw line.
No. 33 — F Chris Washburn | 6-8, 240, jr.
photo by: Richard Gwin
• A hand injury kept junior big man Chris Washburn (7.0 points, 4.4 rebounds) out of the lineup for TCU’s first 11 games of the season.
• Washburn made his first start of the year against Texas, and delivered both the game-winning shot and victory-sealing block in a 58-57 upset during which he posted 14 points and 8 rebounds.
• Another veteran captain, Washburn has struggled with his shooting so far since returning from his hand injury. He has made just 13 of 35 field-goal attempts (37.1%).
No. 2 — G Michael Williams | 6-2, 195, jr.
2 days until @TCUBasketball!!!
#2 for TCU is Michael Williams! He's a 6'2" guard from San Antonio, TX! pic.twitter.com/tfePemKzzj
— TCU Frog Army (@TCUFrogArmy) November 11, 2015
• TCU’s facilitator, junior Michael Williams leads the team with 2.9 assists but scores just 4.9 points a game.
• Williams loves the 3-ball, but it doesn’t love him back. He has made just 9 of 37 from deep (24.3%) this year.
• Dished 8 assists in a loss at Baylor and has passed out 5-plus assists on 5 occasions this season.
• Has started just 12 times in his career, and TCU is 8-4 when he does.
TCU BENCH
No. 3 — G Malique Trent | 6-2, 185, soph.
• A bit of a question-mark entering Saturday’s game at KU, sophomore Malique Trent missed TCU’s loss at Baylor for a violation of team rules. As of Friday afternoon, a return date for the talented guard hadn’t been announced.
• TCU definitely needs Trent on the floor to compete with Kansas. He’s averaging 11.7 points and 2.9 assists, and has scored in double figures 9 times this season.
• If Trent plays, KU might invite him to take (contested) 3-pointers. He has only made 14 this season on 69 attempts (20.3%).
• Trent leads TCU with 26 steals, doubling the total of the Frogs’ 2nd-best thief, Collins (13 steals).
No. 10 — F Vladimir Brodziansky | 6-10, 215, soph.
• A valuable scorer off the bench for TCU, sophomore Vladimir Brodziansky (11.7 points, 4.9 rebounds) is tied for the team scoring lead with Trent.
• Reliable around the paint, Brodziansky is shooting 57.4% from the field, and has made 7 of 18 3-pointers when he steps outside.
• Brodziansky has blocked 18 shots this season.
No. 23 — F Devonta Abron | 6-8, 260, sr.
photo by: Nick Krug
• The only senior on TCU’s team, Devonta Abron (5.9 points) gets nearly half of his 4.1 rebounds on the offensive glass. Abron has 29 offensive rebounds and only plays 13.6 minutes a game.
• Making 50.8% of his shots this season and hasn’t taken a 3-pointer.