Preview: TCU

Vitals

Tip: 7:00 PM Location: Stillwater, OK
TV: Big 12 Network
Online Stream: here
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network
Online radio: here
Announcers: Mark Neely and Chris Piper
Line: Cowboys -19

Records

Cowboys – 10-3 (0-1)
Frogs – 9-5 (0-1)

Best win

Cowboys – NC State (KenPom: #35)
Frogs – UAB (KenPom: #152)

Worst loss

Cowboys – Virginia Tech (KenPom: #147)
Frogs – Texas Tech (KenPom: #250)

KenPom rank

Cowboys – #18
Frogs – #261

Data nerds

[table id=78 /]

Adj. efficiency – Points per 100 possessions (adjusted for quality of opponent and site of game).
Adj. tempo – Possessions per game (adjusted for schedule and pace of other team).
Effective FG % – Takes into account extra value of 3s.

Three things to watch

1. The worst – You could make a legitimate case that TCU might be the worst team in Big 12 history. They lost by 10 to Texas Tech (KenPom: #250!) at home! Their best win is an 8-7 Alabama-Birmingham team. I’ve got my finger on the “upload to YouTube button” in anticipation of Markel’s night.

2. Le’Bryan jump start – OSU doesn’t need good Le’Bryan to make the NCAA tournament, but they do to finish in the top three of the Big 12 and make the Sweet 16. I’ve given up trying to figure him out — hell, Freud has given up trying to figure him out. All I know is what I see and what I’m going to need to see is him posting up and going to the line a lot more than he has been.

3. Rest – Markel, Le’Bryan, and Smart are all playing way too many minutes right now — they’re all in the top 300 in percentage of their team’s minutes played. Can OSU build a big lead and get them 10-15 minutes of rest in the second half tonight in preparation for Bedlam on Saturday? I think (and hope) so.

Prediction

KyPort: Cowboys 76-54
KenPom: Cowboys 66-46

Uniform

This is pretty awesome…