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Preview: Oklahoma State visits TCU seeking first Big 12 win

The Cowboys have lost three of their past four, including two in conference play.

NCAA Basketball: Oklahoma State at Texas Christian Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma State seeks its first Big 12 conference win when they visit TCU on Saturday afternoon in Fort Worth.

The Cowboys (9-5, 0-2 Big 12) won their first seven games of the season and looked like a potential conference contender, but have since gone 2-5 since, including a 0-2 mark in Big 12 play with losses to West Virginia and at Texas Tech. The losses to Texas Tech and WVU come as no surprise as both teams are potential NCAA tournament teams.

A loss to the Horned Frogs (11-3, 2-0), who are on a three-game win streak, could cause OSU to slip even more with tough tilts against Texas, No. 4 Baylor and at Iowa State on the horizon.


Who: OSU (9-5, 0-2) at TCU (11-3, 2-0)

Where: Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena | Fort Worth, TX

When: 1 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 11

TV: ESPN2

Streaming: Watch ESPN

Radio: Cowboy Radio Network / TuneIn

Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com

ESPN Favorite: TCU (62.3%)


Projected Starters


The Opponent

Desmond Bane
TCU Athletics

The Horned Frogs are led by senior guard Desmond Bane, who averages close to 17 points per game while shooting 43-percent from 3-point range. It’ll be interesting to see who OSU coach Mike Boynton picks to guard the 6-foot-6 Bane as he’s too big for most guards to cover and too quick for most bigs. Another player to keep an eye on is 6-11 center Kevin Samuel, who is averaging close to double-double and is an absolute rebounding machine, grabbing 15 rebounds in their most recent game against the Kansas State. If the Cowboys are unable to keep him off the glass, this game could get ugly.

TCU is riding a three-game win streak, which includes conference wins against ISU and at KSU. The Horned Frogs’ three losses this season have come against Clemson, USC and Xavier. TCU is a capable shooting team from beyond the arc at 37 percent, but it struggles from the free-throw line at 61 percent.

If the Cowboys can win the rebounding battle and limit good looks from 3, especially from Bane and Jaire Grayer, OSU might just have a chance at escaping with a win.