WSU vs. TCU basketball: Preview and game thread

WSU finishes off its season-opening two game road swing with a trip to Fort Worth to take on TCU in a game that will tip off at 5 p.m. PT and be broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest, which you can also watch on Root Sports in the Northwest.

The Cougars are fresh off an ugly 65-52 loss to UTEP on Friday in which they shot just 35 percent from the field and turned the ball over a whopping 22 times. Rebounding was a major issue, as the Cougars were abused on both ends of the floor in the paint.

The Horned Frogs are 1-0 after slapping around hapless Prairie View A&M; four players scored in double digits for Trent Johnson's crew, including 6-foot-10 sophomore Karviar Shepherd (pictured above), who had 13 points and 10 rebounds. WSU's own 6-10 sophomore, Josh Hawkinson, figures to draw the assignment to try and slow Shepherd.

TCU did dominate the boards in its first game, and that was the difference for UTEP, which posted similar shooting numbers to WSU but used a big advantage on the offensive glass to get past the Cougars. However, the Horned Frogs were a poor rebounding unit last year, so it's tough to say if they are truly improved or if it was a function of a poor Prairie View squad.

The key for the Cougars offensively will be what it always is: Hope DaVonte Lacy has a big night. He was very quiet against UTEP until the game was more or less out of reach, and WSU will need more from him tonight to have much of a shot.

For what it's worth, Ken Pomeroy's laptop projects the Cougs to win this game just 30 percent of the time.

Go Cougs?

Go Cougs!