No. 14 TCU looking to bounce back against No. 2 Kansas

TCU’s men’s basketball team has responded well to adversity this season.

After the upset defeat to Northwestern State, the Horned Frogs won 11 games in a row. After the two-game skid to Iowa State and Texas, TCU blasted Kansas State. The Wildcats could be the best team in the Big 12.

On Saturday, TCU has another bounce-back opportunity against No. 2 Kansas after the Horned Frogs couldn’t rally on the road at West Virginia. TCU has never won in Morgantown and now the team is headed to another place it hasn’t won before, Allen Fieldhouse.

It’s one of the most iconic venues in the sport and an arena where TCU is 0-11. The Horned Frogs will try to snap that streak against a Kansas team also coming off a loss. The Jayhawks fell in an overtime thriller on the road at Kansas State and will want to avoid a two-game skid.

The Jayhawks are 109-16 following a loss under Bill Self. Since 2012-13, Kansas has been even more efficient with a record of 56-7 after losses.

Here are three things that will decide Saturday’s Top-15 showdown at noon on CBS:

Player of the Year battle

Mike Miles Jr. vs. Kansas’ Jalen Wilson should be a treat. Wilson leads the conference in scoring while Miles is second. Wilson is a 6-foot-8 forward that has seen his production soar after being a key cog on last year’s national championship team. Wilson is averaging a career-high 20.8 points per game along with 8.9 rebounds.

Wilson has range and knocks down an average of two 3-pointers per game. He’s coming off a career night against the Wildcats as he almost willed Kansas to victory with 38 points and nine rebounds. Miles, the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, is also averaging a career-high with 19.1 points on 53% shooting. Miles has scored 20 or more in four of TCU’s last seven games.

While the two won’t be spend much time guarding each other, whichever team can get their Player of the Year candidate to dominate the flow of the game the most will have an edge.

Can TCU play clean?

There’s been a reoccurring theme in TCU’s four losses. The Horned Frogs struggled with turnovers and couldn’t make shots from outside. TCU usually takes care of the ball with only 12.1 turnovers per game, but that number shoots up to over 15 in the Horned Frogs’ losses.

TCU remains one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country. The Horned Frogs are hitting less than 29% of their 3s, ranking 353rd in the country. It’s hard enough overcoming that on a nightly basis, you can’t add turnovers to the mix especially against a team like Kansas. The Jayhawks thrive on creating chaos with 9.2 steals a game, Top-30 in the country.

Senior Kevin McCullar Jr. leads the Big 12 in steals (2.6) and is the point of attack to Kansas’ defense. The Jayhawks knock down 3s at a pretty high rate led by freshman Gradey Dick. Dick was a five-star recruit and is showing why as he’s averaging 14.7 points per game and hitting 45% of his 3s. As a team Kansas hits about eight 3-pointers a game, TCU will want to keep that under five to pull off the upset.

Who will step up for TCU?

On a nightly basis the Horned Frogs know what they’re going to get from Miles, Emanuel Miller and Damion Baugh. Miller is just outside the Top-10 in scoring in the Big 12 (14.6 ppg). Baugh has been steady with 12.3 points per game and a team-high 5.2 assists. But who will be the one to step up to help out the big three?

There’s a slim chance sixth-man Micah Peavy plays on Saturday, so TCU could be without one of their top defenders for the fourth straight game. Chuck O’Bannon hasn’t scored in double figures since TCU’s win over Utah on Dec. 21. A breakout game from him would be ideal, but Eddie Lampkin Jr. might be the biggest key outside of Miles, Miller and Baugh. The Horned Frogs are still trying to find ways to get him consistently involved in the offense.

He had 17 in the win over K-State, but just four points against Texas and five against West Virginia. That won’t cut it against a Kansas this that is smaller in the frontcourt than previous years. Wilson is only 6’8 and KJ Adams is only 6’7. Lampkin has to control the paint. TCU is 4-0 when scores 10 points or more, if he hits that threshold against the Jayhawks it’ll be huge for TCU’s chances.