Why the stakes are so high for TCU’s rematch at Texas Tech
After going 2-0 in league play last week, TCU will start the week with a massive game against Big 12 rival Texas Tech at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The game has significance on numerous levels. The Horned Frogs are going for the season sweep of the Red Raiders. TCU pulled away in an impressive 85-78 win at Schollmaier Arena on Jan. 30 when Texas Tech was viewed as a top-15 team.
Another victory would secure bragging rights, but more importantly than that this game feels like a elimination game if TCU or Texas Tech wants to stay alive for the regular-season league title.
Both teams are 18-7 with a 7-5 record in the Big 12. Iowa State and Houston sit atop the league with 9-3 records, but the two top-15 teams will play on Monday so someone will be sitting at the top of the league after the showdown.
The loser between TCU and Tech would have six conference losses with five games left on the docket. It would take an epic collapse for a six-loss team to still be in contention and it might be a stretch even for the winner with an 8-5 record.
But the winner would also tie Kansas for the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Big 12 Tournament which means securing a double bye in Kansas City. Having to only play two games compared to three is a huge deal with the conference tournament being such an intense gauntlet.
As for the NCAA Tournament, both teams have distanced themselves from the bubble with TCU going from the ‘Last Four Byes’ section in ESPN’s bracketology to off the bubble teams completely with the wins over West Virginia and Kansas State.
Meanwhile the Red Raiders bounced back from a three-game skid with wins over UCF and a blowout over Kansas in Lubbock before falling to Iowa State 82-74 on Saturday.
As for the actual matchup on the court ,there’s been a significant development since the last time these two teams played. Texas Tech starting center Warren Washington was injured during the upset win over Kansas and then missed the game against Iowa State.
While the Red Raiders are led by their guards, Washington made quite the impact the first matchup against the Horned Frogs with 14 points and six rebounds. A legit 7-footer, Washington averages over 10 points and almost eight rebounds per game. If Washington can’t go, Tech won’t use a player taller than 6-7.
Whether or not TCU can take advantage of that remains to be seen as TCU is also dealing with an injury to one of its big men. Starting center Ernest Udeh played only eight minutes against Kansas State on Saturday as he got tangled up and had to exit the game. His status is uncertain for Tuesday, but the lone bright side to that news is TCU has used a committee approach at big man all season.
The Horned Frogs will feel comfortable with the combination of JaKobe Coles, Xavier Cork and Essam Mostafa at the center spot, but Udeh’s rim protection and ability to be a vertical threat for lobs will be missed if he can’t play.
TCU will wish it had all hands on deck as the Red Raiders have been hard to beat at home. Texas Tech is 13-1 in Lubbock with the lone loss coming surprisingly to Cincinnati on Feb. 3 in a narrow 75-72 defeat. The Bearcats’ frontcourt combined for 30 points and 18 rebounds while holding Washington just seven points.
Looking back at the first matchup with TCU and Texas Tech it was a 3-point shooting contest with both teams shooting over 50 percent and combining for 25 total 3s. Red Raiders guard Pop Isaacs hit five for the Red Raiders and is coming off a game where he missed all seven attempts from distance against Iowa State.
Odds are he’ll likely have a bounce back game and the question for TCU will be how the defense guards the 3-point line. If Washington doesn’t play, the Red Raiders will be even more dependent on 3s.
The Horned Frogs have beaten this opponent before, but completing the sweep on the road will be challenging. The reward for doing so could push TCU to a better seed in both the Big 12 and NCAA Tournament.
