TCU Personnel

(*Indicates who started last game. They’ve changed their starting lineup almost every game this season.)

*#2- Emanuel Miller- 6’7″ Sr.- 16ppg, 6rpg.- (Texas A&M)
vs. Houston 1/13/24- 13 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block

• Head of the Snake;
• Long/extremely athletic forward;
• Solid three-level scorer;
• Best around the basket on offense; Can finish with either hand in the paint;
• Good mid-range shooter;
• If he has a mismatch, they post him up in the mid-post and let him face-up for the isolation/

#4- Jameer Nelson Jr.- 6’2″ Sr.- 11ppg, 3rpg, 3apg, 2spg.- (Deleware)
vs. Houston 1/13/24- 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

• Backup guard (plays starter minutes and is one of the best 6th men in the country);
• Good finisher in the paint. Nice floater (runs in the family);
• Really good at attacking the basket;
• Solid mid-range shooter;
• Capable three-point shooter;
• Pesky defender (ranked #47 nationally in steals per game at 2.06).

*#0- Micah Peavy- 6’8″ Sr.- 11ppg, 5rpg.- (Texas Tech)
vs. Houston 1/13/24- 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

• Long/Very athletic forward;
• Capable three-level scorer. He is best in the mid-range and attacking the rim (he has a hitch in his shot that seems to affect his three, but he is capable of making them);
• Solid off the bounce;
• Likes to leak out in transition offense for showtime dunk opportunities.

#5- Chuck O’Bannon Jr.- 6’7″ RS Sr.- 6ppg, 2rpg. (USC)
vs. Houston 1/13/24- 3 points, 4 rebounds

• Long/athletic forward;
• Solid three-level scorer;
• Prefers to shoot the three or attack the rim, more so than mid-range shots;
• Has a slow three-point shot, where he shoots from behind his head. For some reason, this affects defensive close-outs, and he draws a lot of fouls on his jumpers.

*#8- Ernest Udeh Jr.- 6’11” So.- 4ppg, 5rpg.- (Kansas)
vs. Houston 1/13/24- 4 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block

• Big body/athletic post player;
• Massive wing-span (violent shot blocker);
• Good in the pick and roll;
• Solid around the basket. They love to look for him on the lob.

#3- Avery Anderson III- 6’2″ Sr.- 8ppg, 2rpg, 3apg (Oklahoma State)
vs. Houston 1/13/24- 11 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists

• Quick/shifty point guard;
• Best when getting to the rim;
• Solid mid-range shooter;
• Good at driving to draw fouls;
• Not a great three-point shooter (19/64 on the season from 3pt).

#11- Trevian Tennyson- 6’3″ Sr.- 9ppg, 2rpg.- (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi)
vs. Houston 1/13/24- 12 points (4/7 3pt), 2 rebounds,

• Confident three-point specialist (64% of his shot attempts are from 3pt);
• Can shoot the three from DEEP;
• Will pull up for three on the fast break;
• Reminds me of former Coog great Kyler Edwards.

#21- JaKobe Coles- 6’8″ Jr.- 10ppg, 4rpg. (Butler)
vs. Houston 1/13/24- 3 points, 1 assist

• Capable three-level scorer;
• Most effective in the paint/mid-range;
• Solid three-point shooter.

#12- Xavier Cork- 6’9″ Sr.- 4ppg, 3rpg. (Western Carolina)
vs. Houston 1/13/24- 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks

• Big/athletic post player;
• Good finisher around the basket;
• Decent good post moves;
• The “MONSTER” trap should bother him greatly.

#44- Essam Mostafa- 6’9″ Sr.- 3ppg, 3rpg. (Coastal Carolina)
vs. Houston 1/13/24- No Stats in 4 minutes played

• Big body/post player;
• Good around the basket;
• Likes to stick his hip out on screens…oversell it!:

Keys to Victory

1. Emanuel Miller is the “Head of the Snake.” He makes them go offensively. He is a legit three-level scorer with a high motor and is extremely athletic. He is deadly from the mid-range to the rim and is a more than capable three-point shooter. He is a phenomenal free-throw shooter who will look to get to the line often.
2. Defensive Transition. It is imperative for the Coogs to get back on defense and communicate at a high level. TCU is looking to push the ball quickly for looks at the basket. They rank #1 nationally in fast break points!
3. Defend the dribble-drive without fouling. They are looking to get all the way to the rim over 50% of the time! This is the best dribble-drive team that Houston has faced. It will be imperative to defend the paint with hands up and not on them. They want to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line.
4. Take care of the basketball. The Coogs can’t allow TCU to get baskets on “live ball turnovers.” UH is the best defensive team in the nation in the half-court. They would be better off punting the ball into the stands than overpassing to Jameer Nelson Jr. and his friends and allowing them to shoot layups in transition.
5. Paint touches on offense. Houston must attack the paint! TCU does not do a great job of defending the paint. Shead, Cryer, Sharp, Dunn, and Wilson must attack gaps in the pick and roll, look for their floater in the paint, or kick out to an open shooter. The Coog guards can also pass inside to the big men and let them make a move or pass the ball inside/out. This is not the game to pass side to side and settle for a contested three-pointer deep in the shot clock.

Old Men podcast: Outright Big 12 champs & previewing B12 Tournament