College Basketball Pick: #16 TCU Horned Frogs at #9 Oklahoma Sooners
TCU Tries to Bounce Back from Texas Loss Against a Very Tough Sooner Team
The #16 TCU Horned Frogs (13-3 Overall, 1-3 Big 12) play the #9 Oklahoma Sooners (13-2 Overall, 3-1 Big 12) at 1 p.m. E.T. today and TCU will be looking to get back on the winning track. They were upset the other night by the Texas Longhorns 99-98 in double overtime. In the highly competitive Big 12 conference, Oklahoma is third and the Horned Frogs are seventh.
Our TCU plays Oklahoma 2018 NCAA basketball Big 12 pick has the Sooners at -6.5 and the over/under solid at 174.0. Here’s how we see this major Big 12 matchup shaking out.
Recent History
The other night the #16 TCU Horned Frogs lost to the unranked Texas Longhorns in a game where they missed a very easy last shot that would have given them the victory. They come off that Wednesday night loss looking to find some redemption today against a very tough opponent. The Horned Frogs are 2-3 over their last five. That includes a 90-89 Dec. 30 loss to today’s opponent. The Oklahoma Sooners last played on Dec 9 when they beat the Texas Tech Red Raiders 75-65. That night they were coming off a Dec. 6 loss to conference-leading West Virginia. The score in that game was 89-76.
Matchup
We’ve got two teams that score a lot, as Oklahoma is averaging 93.1 PPG and TCU 87.6. Defensively, the Horned Frogs are holding teams to 76.6 PPG for a PF/PA of 11.0, while the Sooners are allowing 80.1 for a PF/PA of +13.0. The Sooners have made 20 more frees than the Frogs. That could be a factor today.
Players to Watch
Senior guard Kenrich Williams (15.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.9 APG) is key for TCU. His hitting 50% of his shots from the floor and 48% of his threes. Senior forward Vladimir Brodziansky (14.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.6 BPG) and sophomore guard Desmond Bane (12.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.6 APG) are premium shooters. Brodziansky is putting in 60% of his shots, while Bane is good on 54%.
For Oklahoma, freshman guard Trae Young (29.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 10.1 APG) is a major playmaker. His good on 45% of his shots and 39% of his three pointers. In the paint, senior forward Khadeem Lattin (7.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.1 BPG) will battle for rebounds. He’s shooting 60% from the floor. Guard Christian James and forward Brady Manek are both hitting better than 50% of their shots and 41% of their threes.
TCU plays Oklahoma 2018 NCAA Basketball Big 12 Pick
This should be a major point event, and so we are gladly taking the over at 174.0. The big questions are how does TCU respond to their last defeat and how much does home court help the Sooners? We think Oklahoma will win this one going away. So our TCU plays Oklahoma 2018 NCAA basketball Big 12 pick is the Sooners at -6.5.
Summary Horned Frogs at Longhorns Picks- Oklahoma at -6.5 and over 174.0
