Texas Christian @ Iowa State preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 21, 2018 ) Texas Christian 89, Iowa State 83

TCU aims for its first Big 12 road win of the season Saturday against 16th-ranked Iowa State, which has moved into second place in the conference following four straight wins. The Horned Frogs bounced back from ugly road losses to Texas Tech and Baylor with Wednesday’s dramatic 70-68 victory over visiting Oklahoma State.

Desmond Bane made six 3-pointers and scored 26 points in TCU’s win over the Cowboys while Alex Robinson became the school’s career leader in assists, finishing with 10 points and 11 assists. Bane averages a team-high 15 points for the Horned Frogs, who scored 70 points for the first time in six games and improved to 4-0 at home in conference games compared to 0-5 on the road. Coach Jamie Dixon’s squad looks to keep its hopes for an NCAA Tournament at-large berth alive against an Iowa State team that has won six of its last seven contests and boasts one of the league’s top backcourts in Marial Shayok, Talen Horton-Tucker and Lindell Wigginton. “It’s good to see that we’re learning and growing, but we have a lot more growing to do,” Shayok told reporters. “It’s February. It’s going to be a good month, hopefully.”

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT TCU (16-6, 4-5 Big 12): After losing 90-64 at Baylor last Saturday, the Horned Frogs escaped with the victory over Oklahoma State on forward JD Miller’s game-winning fadeaway at the buzzer. The team’s balanced attack is led by Bane, a 6-5 junior who averages a team-high 15 points on 49.6 percent shooting and scored 27 in last season’s 89-83 win over Iowa State. Sophomore forward Kouat Noi is second on the team in scoring at 14.7 points per game and ranks third in the Big 12 with 2.5 made 3-pointers per game.

ABOUT IOWA STATE (18-5, 7-3): Shayok averages a team-high 19.1 points on 51 percent shooting for the Cyclones, who lead the Big 12 in scoring (78.8), field goal percentage (48.2) and free throw percentage (73.2). The team’s four-guard lineup includes Wigginton, who ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game and had 18 points with four 3-pointers in last Monday’s 75-74 win over Oklahoma. Coach Steve Prohm has also been pleased by the development of sophomore forward Cameron Lard, who had six points, five rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes off the bench against the Sooners.

TIP-INS

1. Iowa State holds an 11-8 lead in the all-time series - including 6-2 at Hilton Coliseum.

2. The Horned Frogs are 15th in the nation with 17 assists per game.

3. Iowa State is 65-8 under Prohm when leading at the half.

PREDICTION: Iowa State 77, TCU 72