Iowa State at TCU men’s basketball: Five players to watch

Nearly two weeks ago, Iowa State’s Melvin Ejim crushed TCU with an unbelievable 48 points, shattering multiple Big 12 records in a single game. Who will be the players that respond on the Horned Frogs, and could any other player on the Cyclones have the potential to nearly hang up a half-century?

Feb 15, 2014; Lawrence, KS, USA; TCU Horned Frogs guard Kyan Anderson (5) drives to the basket against Kansas Jayhawks guard Naadir Tharpe (10) in the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Since you know Ejim is a mismatch and an obvious player to watch, here are five others that deserve your focus.

#5 Kyan Anderson (TCU junior guard, 5-foot-11, 175 lbs.)

No other player on TCU is really at the level Anderson is on offense, especially at the guard position. Anderson averages 16.9 points and 4.7 assists per game. In comparison, the next best guard is senior Jarvis Ray with 8.4 points per game and Christian Gore averages 1.5 assists per game, the second on that list in passing the ball. Anderson scored 27 points, made all nine free throw attempts, and recorded eight assists in the first meeting against Iowa State.

#11 Monte Morris (ISU freshman guard, 6-foot-2, 170 lbs.)

Will Morris‘ run-in with the police cause any distractions now that it’s publicly known? He hasn’t been a major scorer on offense, but his assist-to-turnover ratio is incredible. He’s become a tremendous distributor, dishing out five or more assists in the last five games as he’s become the consistent starter on offense. He’s also been able to grab rebounds off the glass recently with an average of 5.6 boards in the last three games.

#1 Karviar Shepherd (TCU freshman center, 6-foot-10, 225 lbs.)

Shepherd’s last two games reaching double digits were against Kansas State (their previous game) and Iowa State. He had 11 points and eight rebounds against the Cyclones, his size clearly giving him an advantage on the boards inside.

Feb 15, 2014; Ames, IA, USA; Iowa State Cyclone forward Georges Niang (31) walks off the court after the game at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State defeated Texas Tech 70-64. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

#31 Georges Niang (ISU sophomore forward, 6-foot-7, 240 lbs.)

When Niang has the hot hand on offense, it usually generates success for the Cyclones. Iowa State is 13-3 in games where the forward scores 16 or more points and 13-2 when dishing out four or more assists. The most points Niang has scored this season is 27 points against Oklahoma on February 1st. If Ejim can pull off 48 points, the sophomore has the potential to eclipse 30 points.

#4 Amric Fields (TCU junior forward, 6-foot-9, 220 lbs.)

Fields was more than impressive in his last outing against Iowa State, hitting on 4-of-7 3-pointers, grabbing eight rebounds, and finishing with 18 points. He’s only recorded one double-double this season, but he’s had seven or eight rebounds in six of his last nine games.