Jayhawks host Horned Frogs in Big 12 brawl

Feb 21, 2015 - 3:51 PM Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Coming off a heart-breaking road loss, the eighth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks return to the friendly confines of the Allen Fieldhouse, where they will host the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday afternoon in a Big 12 battle.

The 10-time Big 12 regular-season champions fell at nationally-ranked West Virginia earlier in the week by a single point, 62-61. The loss dropped the Jayhawks to 10-3 in conference play, although they are still sitting atop the league standings, one game ahead of second-place Iowa State (9-4). KU is a perfect 13-0 at home this season and brings a 21-game homecourt winning streak into this bout.

Trent Johnson's Horned Frogs have had an up and down season thus far. The non- conference slate posed no problems for TCU, which finished with a perfect 13-0 record. The Big 12 schedule has been an entirely different story, with the Horned Frogs buried in ninth-place with a mere 3-10 league ledger. Still, two of those three wins have come in the last two games, with TCU knocking off Oklahoma State (70-55) and Kansas State (69-55) at home.

The Jayhawks hold an 8-1 edge in a series with TCU that dates back to 1952. Kansas is seeking the regular-season sweep after escaping Forth Worth with a 64-61 victory back on Jan. 28.

TCU doesn't put up gaudy offensive numbers, but rather, is at its best when enforcing its will at the defensive end of the floor. The Horned Frogs are netting a modest 68.2 ppg this year, but it is more than enough considering the team is yielding just 59.8 ppg, on a meager .382 shooting efficiency by foes. The scoring pool isn't very deep on the roster, as only senior guard Kyan Anderson is averaging double digits at 12.9 ppg. Fellow senior Trey Zeigler and sophomore Kenrich Williams are tied for second on the team at 8.6 ppg each. Williams is tops on the team in rebounding, grabbing 6.7 caroms per contest.

It was a strong offensive game that proved to be the difference for TCU in the win over Kansas State. The Horned Frogs connected on a robust .535 from the field and outscored K-State at the free-throw line, 19-13. Four Horned Frogs notched double figures in the win, led by sophomore forward Chris Washburn's 17 points. Sophomore center Karviar Shepherd finished with 12 points, while Williams and senior forward Amric Fields checked in with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Anderson chipped in nine points and doled out five assists in the victory.

Perry Ellis' layup rolled off the rim in the waning moments against West Virginia, as the Mountaineers held on at WVU Coliseum for the one-point win over Kansas. Ellis netted 15 second-half points, and finished with a team-high 19, but couldn't get his final shot to fall. Fran Mason III poured in 18 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. netted 14 for Kansas, which shot .490 from the floor in the game, but gave up 17 points off 14 turnovers in the loss. The lack of contributions from bench played a huge part in the game as well, as West Virginia held a 21-6 edge in bench points in the game.

Kansas isn't known for its big scoring totals this season either, although its 71.8 ppg does come on an efficient .445 shooting, which includes an impressive .409 from long range. Ellis leads the way both in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Mason is next the only other Jayhawk currently averaging double figures at 12.4 ppg, although Wayne Selden Jr. (9.9 ppg) and Oubre (8.7 ppg) aren't far under that mark.