With tough slate looming, TCU takes on Houston Christian

Field Level Media|published: Sun 26th November, 19:15 2023

Mar 19, 2023; Denver, CO, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Jamie Dixon reacts in the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Ball Arena. credits: Michael Ciaglo-USA TODAY Sports

With its Big 12-Big East Battle matchup at Georgetown set for Saturday, TCU has one last tune-up Monday night as the Horned Frogs welcome Houston Christian to Fort Worth, Texas, aiming to keep their undefeated season intact.

TCU (5-0) is coming off a 93-74 win over Alcorn State last Tuesday. Houston Christian is winless in four games, though the Huskies lost twice by single digits.

Following the win over Alcorn State, in which TCU converted 32 of its 39 free throws and shot 47.4 percent from the field, head coach Jamie Dixon noted that the road only gets tougher from here on out.

"Our strength of schedule will be top-10 the rest of the way," Dixon said. "Obviously, we are backloaded as far as nonconference (games)."

That includes matchups against Georgetown, Clemson and Arizona State over the next few weeks.

A contributing factor to TCU's success has been the production in the frontcourt, with Essam Mostafa, Xavier Cork and Ernest Udeh Jr. maintaining a strong presence in the paint. Against Alcorn State, the trio combined for 23 points and eight rebounds, going 8-for-9 from the floor and 7-for-11 at the line.

"The big guys again (had) huge production," Dixon said. "They made their free throws. ... We're getting great minutes out of those three guys."

Houston Christian comes off a 92-65 loss to Oklahoma State on Nov. 24, in which the Huskies led 25-23 at the 9:39 mark of the first half but fell behind on a 10-0 Oklahoma State run. The Huskies enter Monday's game shooting 44.2 percent from the field, but just 19.6 percent from 3-point range.

Leading TCU's offensive attack is JaKobe Coles, who had 20 points against Alcorn State and averages 16.2 points per game. Micah Peavy contributes 12.8 points per game and Emanuel Miller leads the Horned Frogs with 6.2 rebounds to go with 12.6 points per contest.

Houston Christian's high scorer is Marcus Greene, who averages 16.5 points and 31.8 minutes per game. Jay Alvarez is also a scoring factor at 15.0 points per game.

—Field Level Media

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