TCU vs Iowa State basketball: Five players to watch
By Doug Winkey
After Iowa State basketball gave fans a near-heart attack against Texas, Texas Christian comes to Ames on Saturday. Here are my players to watch for each team.
TCU
Kyan Anderson (#5, Sr G, 5-foot-11, 175 lbs.)
Anderson is the clear leader for TCU. The senior is leading the team in scoring, assists, and steals with averages of 13.9, 3.8, and 1.5, respectively. He isn’t a particularly strong shooter (only 43 percent from the floor this year), but that is no reason to sleep on the most experienced player for a team looking to play Big 12 spoiler. Monte Morris will be tasked with locking down the Horned Frogs’ point guard.
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Kenrich Williams (#34, So F, 6-foot-7, 195 lbs.)
Williams is next. The sophomore is the third leading scorer with 8.6 ppg and leads in rebounding at 6.7 per contest. He also contributes one block per game as one of the team’s primary post-players. I don’t anticipate any sort of breakout performance against the likes of Georges Niang and company, but he is coming off a solid 13 points and 9 rebounds against Kansas.
Chris Washburn (#33, So F, 6-foot-8, 240 lbs.)
My last pick is Washburn. He is averaging 6.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and 1.6 bpg, and had 7 points and 12 rebounds against Kansas. He, like Williams, will be covered by the rotation of Niang, Dustin Hogue, and Jameel McKay. While TCU is playing spoiler and has youthful energy, they are still playing in Hilton against a top-team in the conference.
Iowa State
Matt Thomas (#21, So G, 6-foot-4, 195 lbs.)
My first Cyclone to watch this time is Thomas. After a solid outing against Texas Tech where he scored 12 points, he followed up with a game where he only scored two points in five minutes of play. If there is any opponent for Thomas to dominate and regain some lost playing time, it is TCU.
The Reserves
For the second straight week I am going with the team over a player, but this time I want to watch the Iowa State bench. This game could potentially be a blowout, which would give Clayton Custer, Daniel Edozie, and the rest of the gang a chance to play, have fun, and show off their continuing progress. Some of them could be needed in the future when ISU enters post-season play and any playing time they can get before that time is critical.
If it seems like I am underestimating the Horned Frogs despite their recent near-victories, it is only because the game is at Hilton Colosseum. TCU could still cause problems. Check back later today for a full preview. Go Cyclones!