The No.2 Houston Cougars will travel to Fort Worth to play the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday, January 13. TCU is coming off of a Top-Ten win against the Oklahoma Sooners. TCU has shown they have what it takes to hang and beat some of the best teams in the nation. The game is at 5 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN. It's the season's third Big 12 conference game for both teams. Both teams are currently 1-1 in conference play.
Houston Guard- #4 L.J. Cryer
Houston is one of the most dominant basketball programs in the country, so it was hard to choose which player I would highlight. However, I figured I could not go wrong with choosing L.J. Cryer. The Cougars guard stands 6'1'' and 185 lbs. The Horned Frogs are no stranger to him. The Baylor transfer has been one of the best collegiate players for quite some time. In his last two appearances, Cryer dropped double digits on the Horned Frogs. He also provides great senior leadership for this team and can help them go a long way this season. This team, along with Cryer, is dangerous.
He has gotten better and more efficient each season. He is averaging 1.3 more points per game this season than last. Cryer is a good shooter from anywhere on the court, especially from deep. He is a decent scorer off of the dribble and handles the ball well. The senior guard is also a solid athlete and defender. TCU will need to slow him down if they want to be successful in this matchup.
Cryer is a great player, but does have some weaknesses that TCU needs to pick up on. He is, at times, a poor shot selector and can be too focused on the offense side of the ball. Cryer is also not the best rebounder due to the lack of size. TCU is a quick team and has enough size to out-rebound the Cougars. If the Frogs play quickly, I expect them to have a good chance at this matchup.
Other Players To Watch For:
- Senior Forward- #13 J'wan Roberts
- Leads team in average rebounds per game (6.9)
- Senior Guard- #1 Jamal Shead
- Leads team in average assists (6.0) and steals (2.3) per game
- Junior Forward- #5 Ja'Vier Francis
- Leads team in average blocks per game (1.5)
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