When the TCU Horned Frogs come to Bramlage Coliseum Wednesday, they’ll look to avoid a repeat of an 18-point loss to K-State in January. More than a month later, TCU still has yet to pick up a Big 12 victory. Here’s how the Frogs match up with the Wildcats.
Frontcourt: Toss Up
On paper, the Horned Frogs have the advantage in the paint due to their height, but when they met earlier in the season, the K-State bigs pushed their counterparts around.
TCU’s biggest rebounding threats are 6-foot-9-inch junior forward Amric Fields and 6-foot-10-inch freshman center Karviar Shephard, who account for 256 of the team’s total rebounds. If these two can get going early on the boards, they could make life tough for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats combo of freshman forward Wesley Iwundu and junior forward Thomas Gipson reeled in 12 rebounds against the Horned Frogs. Iwundu stands at 6 feet 7 inches and will have a tough matchup on his hands against Fields, who averages 13.5 points per game this season. Fields can stretch his defender out to the arc with his 3-point ability, having hit 20 this season, shooting .364 from behind the arc.
Gipson also has a key matchup in the paint against Shephard. The 6-foot-7-inch freshman leads the team with 153 rebounds. He also shoots at .423 from the field, an efficient rate for a center who averaged 8.3 points per game. What sets Shephard apart are his 43 blocks on the season. Averaging almost two blocks per game, he will make life hard for the Wildcats close to the basket.
The team that makes their presence felt on the glass first will have the upper hand in this matchup, which means it will come down to the size of the Horned Frogs against the box-out technique of the Wildcats.
Backcourt: Wildcats
The backcourt will feature two high-ranked guards in the Big 12, with K-State freshman Marcus Foster and TCU junior Kyan Anderson. Foster ranks 12th in the conference in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game for the Wildcats, while Anderson is seventh at 16.6 points per game for his hometown team.
Anderson is the do-all for his team. He leads the team with 35 3-point baskets, shooting an impressive .407 from behind the arc on the season. The junior also leads the team with 117 assists, setting up his teammates for easy baskets.
Foster will need to stay efficient from outside against the Horned Frogs, where he was 4-5 the last time these two teams met. Foster leads the team in both attempts and makes from long range, going 57-147 on the season. Foster also leads the Wildcats in trips to the free-throw line, where he shoots 69 percent.
Matchup of the Game: Shephard vs. Gipson
Gipson out-rebounded Shephard the last-time around, and if he can do it again the Wildcats will get more opportunities than they’ll need and could run away with the game. If Shephard gets going, he could put his team in position to pull an upset in Bramlage.
