TCU Men's Basketball Preview: Oklahoma State

The Horned Frogs look to bounce back following two straight disappointing losses.

TCU is back on the road on Tuesday to take on Oklahoma State in Stillwater at 8 p.m. Jamie Dixon's group is 13-5 and 2-3 in conference after back-to-back close losses to Cincinnati and Iowa State last week, while the Cowboys are 8-10 and 0-5 in conference. 

Emanuel Miller against Houston on January 13, 2024.  / © Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

It's a down year for Mike Boynton and his Oklahoma State team, but the Cowboys have talent and are a hungry team looking for their first Big 12 victory. This is not a gimme game for TCU. Here are three keys to victory for the Horned Frogs. 

Take Care of the Basketball 

When it comes to turning the ball over, it is hard to imagine having a worse day than TCU did against Iowa State. Iowa State forced a remarkable 27 (!) TCU turnovers on Saturday. I can't find the NCAA record for turnovers in a game, but I do know that despite the Frogs' best effort, they did not break that record (West Virginia forced 40 turnovers against Manhattan in 2016). The Cyclones scored 36 points off those turnovers, which was unquestionably the difference in the game. TCU's two main ball-handlers, Avery Anderson III and Jameer Nelson Jr., combined for 12 of those 27 mistakes. 

Oklahoma State does not have a defense anywhere close to as dominant as Iowa State's, but it did force 17 turnovers in the team's loss to Kansas State on Saturday, so the unit can create chaos. Anderson III and Nelson Jr. have to be better at taking care of the ball, and the rest of the team will follow. 

Contain the Cowboys' Guards

If there is a bright spot in this dark season for Oklahoma State, it's the guard duo of Javon Small and Bryce Thompson. The two are averaging a combined 25 points per game, and both can score 20 points on any given night. This is significant because the Horned Frogs struggled mightily with opposing guards in each of their last two outings. Against Iowa State, the starting guard duo of Curtis Jones (17 points) and Keshon Gilbert (20 points) combined for 37 points. Against Cincinnati, Dan Skillings Jr. (13 points) and Day Day Thomas (21 points) combined for 34 points. 

TCU has the personnel to stop any perimeter player in the country. Micah Peavy, Jameer Nelson Jr., and Avery Anderson have all excelled defensively this year, but recently, the opposing guards have had their way. If The Frogs can limit the damage that Small and Thompson do, the likelihood of a win increases exponentially. 

Emanuel Miller

On Episode 10 of Frog Fever, Nick Girimonte and I discussed where Emanuel Miller may rank among other Big 12 players. We landed on third behind only Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. Miller is a true difference maker, and when he is being aggressive, TCU is ten times better. He only attempted eight shots in the loss to Iowa State, which was his lowest number of the season. Oklahoma State's two big men who average the most minutes per game are both freshmen. Miller is playing his fifth season of college basketball. His experience is valuable, and if he can use it, TCU will be in good shape. 

How to Watch, Listen, and Stream: Iowa State vs. TCU

• Tipoff - 8 p.m. CT, Tuesday, January 23. 
• Television - ESPN2 with Mark Neely and Tim Welsh. 
• Radio - AM 570 KLIF with Brian Estridge and Collin Boddicker (also available on Sirius XM Channel 83, HFTV, TuneIn, and Varsity)
• Live Stream - fuboTV (Start your free trial)

TCU Basketball: Know Your Foe - Oklahoma State's Javon Small

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