When Houston traveled to Fort Worth last season, the TCU Horned Frogs had one of the better defensive teams in the nation. At the time, they were also ranked #1 in the country in fast-break points per game. But head coach Jamie Dixon had to replace most of his team through the transfer portal, and the new squad is not as well connected yet.

The Horned Frogs visit the Fertitta Center for BIG MONDAY with an 8-5 (1-1) record. They are 0-2 on the road this season, with losses at Michigan and Arizona. The Frogs have some solid players but are not ready to face the Cougars at the Fertitta Center, where UH has won 30 straight.

For the Frogs to have a chance to pull the upset, they will need a massive game from Green Bay transfer Noah Reynolds, who is my “Head of the Snake” for this game. He is currently their leading scorer and assists man. He is very left-hand dominant and needs to get the ball in that hand to be an effective scorer. He is a solid point guard but will experience a defense and intensity he’s never faced.

If the Coogs can keep the Horned Frogs out of the paint and off the free-throw line, they will likely blow them out. TCU plays fast on offense when they can, but they are nowhere as good as last year.

TCU National Rankings

• Net – #72; Houston is Ranked #4
• Kenpom – #73; Houston is Ranked #3
• AP Poll – NR; Houston is Ranked #14 (at time of publish)
• Coaches Poll – NR; Houston is Ranked #14 (at time of publish)

TCU Offensive Rankings (Top 50 in Nation)

#37 – Fast-break Points Per Game: 14.77

Horned Frogs Defensive Rankings (Top 50 in Nation)

#12 – Three-Point % Defense: 27.7%

TCU Offense Notes

• TCU does a great job on back-door cuts. It was the dreaded back-door cut that they scored on last season to seal the win in Ft. Worth. The Coogs will need to keep their head on a swivel.
• They run a fast-moving offense with lots of screens away from the ball, and their guys are reading their defenders to determine if they should curl for an outside shot or back door to the basket. It will be critical for Houston to communicate on defense and keep their man out of the paint.
• The Horned Frogs want to run in transition when they can. They are a Top 50 team in transition offense, ranked at #37. But they are a far cry from what they were last year at this point in the season when they were ranked #1 in the nation in transition offense.

TCU Defense Notes

• Often mostly play HC M2M defense, whereas BYU preferred to stay inside the three-point line, TCU will go out and play aggressive M2M defense. Like BYU, they do like to trap in the corner when possible.
• The Coogs should be able to get in the paint. They should look to attack, score, or kick out for open three-point looks.
• The Frogs defend the side-to-side passes pretty well, which is why teams are only shooting 27.7% from beyond the arc against them.
• TCU will likely try to run a 1-2-2, 3/4 court trap.
• The Horned Frogs may run some 2-3 zone defense. They are not very comfortable running it.

TCU Personnel Report (* Indicates Probable Starters)

*#21 – Noah Reynolds – 6’3″ – SR – Guard – (Wyoming/Green Bay) – 11ppg, 3rpg, 4apg.

• LEFTY;
• Scoring point guard; Three-level scorer;
• Solid at getting in the paint for floaters and pull-up jumpers;
• Great at driving left…force him right; When he drives right, he will still shoot with his left hand;
• Capable outside shooter; 13/40 (33%);
• Likes to lob to the big men in the paint;
• Hit the game-winning shot Saturday vs Kansas State.

*#3 – Vasean Allette – 6’2″ – SO – Guard – (Old Dominion) – 11ppg, 3rpg, 3apg.

• Smaller combo guard; Long wing-span for his size;
• Best when getting in the paint to score or draw a foul; Really good finisher in the paint and at absorbing contact; Can shoot with either hand around the rim;
• Capable shooter, but has super ugly shooting form.

*#8 – Ernest Udeh Jr. – 6’11” – JR – Center – (Kansas) – 9ppg, 9rpg, 1.5bpg.

• Big body/athletic center; Extremely strong;
• Appears to have lost some weight from last year and is moving really well;
• Outstanding rebounder;
• Solid passer for his size;
• Still a poor free-throw shooter. 59%
• Top 50 Rankings – #34 – Rebounds Per Game: 8.9rpg. / #46 – Offensive Rebounds Per Game: 3.09

*#15 – David Punch – 6’7″ – FR – Forward – 6ppg, 5rpg.

• Long/athletic forward; Going to be a really good player in due time;
• Solid passer;
• He doesn’t look to shoot the three often; 1/4 (25%);
• Punch is pretty solid at putting the ball on the floor to drive to the basket, but he needs the ball in his right hand to score;
• He draws a lot of fouls but is a very poor free-throw shooter; 11-28 (39%);
• Gets a little rushed in the post. MONSTER trap should give him problems due to his poor foot-work.

*#13 – Trazarien White – 6’6″ – SR – Forward – (Collin College/UNC-Wilmington) – 11ppg, 3rpg.

• Long/athletic forward;
• Highly coveted transfer;
• Prefers to play outside and shoot the three or take it off the bounce;
• Likes to post up in the mid-post; Solid passer when facing up.

#0 – Brendan Wenzel – 6’8″ – SR – Guard – (Utah/Wyoming) – 9ppg, 4rpg.

• Lengthy shooting guard;
• Had Houston on his list when transferring from Wyoming;
• Had missed three games before the win vs Kansas State with a high ankle sprain;
• Outstanding three-point specialist; 22/48 (46%).

#5 – Micah Robinson – 6’6″ – FR – Forward – 6ppg, 2rpg.

• Strong forward;
• Strong finisher around the basket,
• Solid three-point (39%) and free-throw shooter (80%).

#1 – Isaiah Manning – 6’8″ – RS/FR – Forward – 2ppg, 1rpg.

• Long forward;
• Capable of shooting the three-pointer, but not great; 7/25 (28%);
• Did not stand out to me much vs Kansas State.

#41 – Jace Posey – 6’5″ – RS/FR – Guard – 3ppg, 2rpg.

• Son of former NBA players James Posey;
• He is also on the TCU track and field team;
• Very poor shooter from everywhere on the court.

#32 – Malick Diallo – 6’9″ – FR – Center – 2ppg, 3rpg.

• Tall post player;
• Super long wing span;
• Solid around the basket and can finish with either hand;

#11 – Frankie Collins – 6’2″ – SR – Guard – (Michigan/Arizona St) – 11ppg, 4rpg, 2apg.

• Out for the remainder of the season with a left foot injury;
• Had been their leading scorer and best player on the season.

Keys to Victory

1. Keep them out of the paint. Every player on the TCU roster, except Wenzel, wants to score in the paint. The Coogs have been tremendous, keeping opponents out of the paint this season. They will want that to continue Monday night.
2. No back-door cuts. TCU’s offense consists of reading what their opponents’ defense does. They will look to back-door cut against teams like Houston that play a high-pressure defense. This caught the Coogs off-guard last year and bit them on the game’s last possession in Ft. Worth. UH must keep their heads on a swivel and communicate at a high level.
3. Keep them off the free-throw line. Many times, TCU is driving to get contact and draw a foul. The Coogs can’t allow them to slow the game down and score without the clock running. JoJo will need to be careful, as most of their forwards can drive to the basket and draw fouls. Kelvin Sampson called this a “maturity game” on Sunday night, and UH needs that from Tugler here.
4. Drive on their defense. TCU does a solid job of preventing their opponents from making a lot of three-point baskets. However, they are not great at stopping the drive. Houston should aim to attack their aggressive defense, get the ball in the paint, and score or kick out for open shots.
5. Out-rebound them on both ends. The Coogs will look to attack the boards on both ends of the court. Keeping Udeh Jr. off the glass and creating extra scoring opportunities will be critical. The Coogs have been very efficient on “dagger threes” this season.