Injuries will force coaches at TCU and No. 25 Baylor to come up with creative game plans on Sunday when the Big 12 rivals meet in Waco, Texas.
Both teams lost in their previous contests.
The Horned Frogs (9-7, 2-3) dropped their first home game of the season with a 73-65 setback to Utah on Wednesday.
The Bears (11-5, 3-2) fell 81-70 in a road game vs. Arizona on Tuesday. Baylor scored a season-low 19 points in the first half. The Bears will look to bounce back at home, where they are 8-0 this season.
Baylor coach Scott Drew has turned to a six-man rotation because Jalen Celestine and Langston Love have missed the last four games with ankle injuries. Love is managing the after-effects of off-season ankle surgery, while Drew said Celestine “tweaked” his ankle at the end of the game against Utah on Dec. 31.
Norchad Omier leads a group of five Bears who average double figures in scoring. He is at 15.5 points per game and also averages a team-best 10.2 rebounds.
Robert Wright III, the only Baylor player who saw double-digit minutes off the bench, led the team with 16 points against Arizona. The freshman has shown the potential that had him ranked as the No. 1 point guard in the class of 2024 coming out of Montverde, Fla.
“Being short-handed is a big factor,” Drew said. “We got two guys out that play a similar position. In football if you have two quarterbacks out, it changes what you do. If you have two tailbacks or tight ends out, it’ll change what you do. But that’s part of the game. Next-man-up mentality. You’ve got to find a way. I’m proud we were able to win two games like that. Hopefully we can get guys back soon.”
TCU’s Brendan Wenzel scored 12 points against Utah on Wednesday despite failing to participate in practice.
Horned Frogs coach Jamie Dixon said he wasn’t sure which players would be available for Sunday’s game.
Even with the lineup shuffle, Dixon said TCU had a plan in pace vs. the Utes. But the execution was lacking, and that’s something he said he’ll address in practice.
“I had all kinds of plans and ideas these last two days, and they didn’t come to fruition with availability,” Dixon said. “I’ve got to really look at it and talk about it to get our guys to be successful.”
The message apparently made its way to Vasean Allette, who has one turnover in the last two TCU games. Ball-handling responsibilities for the sophomore guard have increased since Frankie Collins was lost for the season in December with a broken foot.
Allette, who averages 11.4 points per game, has scored in double figures in seven consecutive contests.
“We’ve really talked to him about his passing,” Dixon said about Allette. “We think that is one of his great strengths.”
–Field Level Media
