Three-minute preview: Kansas men’s basketball vs. TCU

TCU at No. 8 Kansas

▪ WHEN/WHERE: 3 p.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence

▪ TV/RADIO: ESPN2; KCSP (610 AM)

▪ ABOUT KANSAS (21-5, 10-3 Big 12): The Jayhawks will look to get back on track after squandering a golden opportunity for a road victory at West Virginia on Monday night. After falling at West Virginia, Kansas’ lead in the Big 12 race sits at just one game over second-place Iowa State, which plays at Texas on Saturday. The Jayhawks, though, need only to win four of their remaining five games to guarantee themselves a share of the Big 12 regular-season title. Kansas will make a trip to K-State on Monday before finishing the Big 12 season with home games against Texas and West Virginia and a trip to Oklahoma on March 7. Kansas freshman forward Cliff Alexander was limited to just six minutes against West Virginia, all in the first half. Kansas coach Bill Self said Alexander’s body is banged up — he’s battled a bruised sternum for weeks — but that the ailments shouldn’t keep him from playing major minutes or at a high level. Instead, Self felt more comfortable going with sophomore Landen Lucas against West Virginia’s pressure. Sophomore wing Brannen Greene, meanwhile, also will look to bounce back after going scoreless in 12 minutes at West Virginia. Self is 6-1 against TCU during his KU tenure.

▪ ABOUT TCU (16-10, 3-10 Big 12): After starting 1-10 in the Big 12, a stretch that included a seven-game losing streak, TCU has notched two straight victories. The Horned Frogs handled a ranked Oklahoma State team 70-55 before defeating K-State 69-55 at home on Wednesday. “We’re growing up,” TCU coach Trent Johnson said, “we’re maturing.” In their third season in the Big 12, the Frogs have surpassed their total number of victories from their first two seasons combined. After going 2-16 in conference play in 2013, TCU was winless in the league last season. On the whole, though, TCU has continued to struggle on the offensive end during conference play. The Frogs rank ninth in the league in offensive efficiency, and last in the league in three-point shooting (26.7 percent) and free-throw shooting (57.7 percent). TCU fell to Kansas 64-61 on Jan. 28 in Fort Worth, Texas. But the Horned Frogs punished Kansas on the glass, snaring 26 offensive rebounds. That’s the most allowed by Kansas this season.

This story was originally published February 20, 2015 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Three-minute preview: Kansas men’s basketball vs. TCU."