After a tough loss on the road at Baylor, Texas returns to the Frank Erwin Center tonight to face TCU. Texas will look to get back to .500 in conference play and cure some of the scoring woes that hurt them in Waco on Saturday. It was announced earlier today that starting guard Andrew Jones, who had missed the previous 2 games with an undisclosed injury, has begun treatment for Leukemia. Without Jones, Texas has struggled at times to establish a rhythm on offense. Freshman Jase Febres has shown flashes this season of being a legitimate scoring threat, including 18 points on Saturday, and he will be relied upon heavily the rest of the season.
TCU enters the game with a 1-2 conference record, but both losses have come at the hands of top 15 teams. The Horned Frogs dropped the conference opener 90-89 to OU, and most recently lost at home to Kansas, 88-84. Head Coach Jamie Dixon has worked wonders in his short time in Fort Worth, and has his team competing in the upper half of the Big 12 in his second year. The Horned Frogs are lead by senior Kenrich Williams, who is averaging close to a double-double with 14.6 PPG and 9.4 RPG. Fellow senior Vladimir Brodziansky is one of the better all around players in the Big 12. The Slovakia native stands at 6’11 and is a major offensive threat down low, while also being considered one of the better interior defenders in the conference. As a team, TCU is shooting 50% from field and 40% from 3.
In his weekly press conference, Shaka Smart stressed the important role Matt Coleman will play on the floor with Jones out. It is no secret Texas is still trying to find themselves on offense, and Coleman will need to continue to develop and improve if Texas wants to position itself to receive a NCAA tournament bid come March.
Tonight’s game will tip off at 8 PM CST on ESPNU. Follow along here at HornSports for updates.
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