Texas Christian @ Oklahoma State preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 11, 2020 ) Oklahoma State 40, Texas Christian 52

Oklahoma State will once again vie for its first Big 12 victory of the season Wednesday when the Cowboys play host to TCU. In their first meeting of the season, a 52-40 Horned Frogs victory on Jan. 11, the Cowboys were held to a season-low in scoring while shooting 30.2-percent from the floor – the lowest for a TCU opponent since the 2014-15 season.

The Horned Frogs have losses in five of six games since that initial meeting with the Cowboys, and are in the midst of a three-game losing skid after suffering a 68-52 setback to No. 1 Baylor on Saturday. TCU senior Desmond Bane, who ranks second in the conference with 16.3 points per game, was held scoreless in the first half against the Bears but still finished as the team’s leading scorer with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting after halftime. Oklahoma State remained winless during conference play after an 82-69 setback to Oklahoma Saturday despite 15 points apiece from seniors Cameron McGriff and Thomas Dziagwa. McGriff is averaging a team-best 6.6 rebounds per game and led the squad with eight against the Sooners while Dziagwa knocked down four triples and is ranked third in the Big 12 in both 3-pointers made per game (2.50) and 3-point shooting percentage (42.0).

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: Big 12 Now, ESPN-Plus

ABOUT TCU (13-8, 4-4 Big 12): Bane has been the conference’s best 3-point shooter this season as the 6-6 guard is first in the Big 12 with 2.81 made triples per game on a league-best 44.4-percent success rate. Sophomore RJ Nembhard posted eight points and a career-high eight rebounds Saturday while sophomore Kevin Samuel added nine points, seven rebounds and a career high-tying six rejections, moving him into fifth all-time in program history for blocks. The Horned Frogs have won their last 20 games when recording at least 20 assists but have hit that threshold just five times this season and not since a Jan. 4 victory against Iowa State – a span of eight games.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (10-11, 0-8): Guard Isaac Likekele has been a bright spot for the Cowboys as the sophomore is scoring a team-best 11.4 points per game and has hit double figures in five straight contests while sitting second in the Big 12 with 2.18 steals per game – 27th nationally. The race to see who can finish with more career points is heating up between senior Lindy Waters III, who is 37th in program history with 1,063 career points, and McGriff, who sits in 38th with 1,038. Sophomore Yor Anei is fourth in the conference with 2.0 blocks per game but is averaging just 1.44 in nine January games and is scoring just 3.4 points during conference play – well below his season average of 8.1.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Samuel is averaging 16.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and four blocks while shooting 72.4 percent from the floor over his last three games.

2. The Cowboys are 0-8 in conference play for just the second time in program history and they have never started 0-9.

3. Bane is seventh on TCU’s all-time scoring list with 1,596 points – 28 shy of tying Kyan Anderson for sixth place.

PREDICTION: TCU 67, Oklahoma State 59