Kansas State Basketball Preview: At Texas Christian

Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

After starting conference play with two absolute nailbiters, the Wildcats travel to Dallas to take on the TCU Horned Frogs that should allow the Wildcats to catch their breath and rotate more players into the action. Following  two straight Saturdays of nervousness (73-67 over Oklahoma State, 65-64 over West Virginia), the road should be a little easier against what a TCU squad that is shaping up to be the worst in the Big 12.

At 9-7, TCU has failed to register a good win this season and began conference play 0-3, including two double-digit losses (the other being a nine point loss to Texas Tech). At 55 points per game, the Horned Frogs ranked 335th in the NCAA. Their most dangerous player is senior guard Garlon Green, who has shot lights out this year with 43.3 percent accuracy from behind the arc (as a sophomore he shot .484).

Expect Kansas State to dominate the boards in this matchup, as the Wildcats average a full seven more rebounds than the Horned Frogs. Center Jordan Henriquez is finally demonstrating his potential while coming off the bench and may solidify himself as one of the Big 12’s most devastating defensive forces in this game. Many eyes will also be trained on senior guard Rodney McGruder, who started the season slowly given his All-Big 12 status, but demonstrated his potential against #22 Oklahoma State by scoring 28 points. McGruder is averaging just north of 30 minutes per game, but has logged at least 35 minutes in his past five starts.

The State of Kansas has been the Big 12’s lone bright spot this basketball season, as #4 KU and #16 K-State are the only ranked teams in the league. Baylor was expected to contend this year but has crawled to an 11-5 start while Oklahoma State cracked the rankings before a one-point loss to Gonzaga, followed by a 1-2 start to conference play, dropped the Cowboys from the polls. Although Texas filled many with high hopes at the beginning of the year, the Longhorns are currently the only Big 12 team without a winning record and will continue to be owned by the Wildcats for the foreseeable future.